EVANSTON — Evanston residents Sage Peltier and Isicc Prettypaint each face a charge of aggravated child abuse following an incident reported from Evanston Regional Hospital on May 28.

According to a sworn affidavit by Evanston police officer Cody Webb, the two suspects were identified by hospital staff as parents of a child who had seemingly abused their 15-day-old newborn baby.

The female child reportedly had damage in the brain that appeared consistent with head trauma, as well as a low heart rate.

When Webb arrived at the hospital, the child was having seizures and staff was preparing her to be life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. The newborn and her three siblings were placed into protective custody as Peltier agreed to an interview.

According to court documents, Peltier claimed the child had been born healthy but had been taken to a hospital in Salt Lake City for fast breathing. After being treated for a bacterial infection, the parents were able to take the newborn home. Peltier described the child as an “easy baby,” only crying when hungry or in need of a diaper change.

Court documents state before the ERH visit, Peltier said, another of her children was rocking the victim roughly. Peltier stopped the rocking and thought the newborn seemed fine. The following morning, the newborn baby was acting “a little fussy but perfectly fine,” according to the affidavit. Prettypaint reportedly offered to take the baby downstairs so Peltier could sleep longer.

According to court documents, Peltier said Prettypaint made the baby a bottle before yelling upstairs. Peltier said she ran downstairs to hear Prettypaint tell her the newborn was choking on her bottle. Peltier said this happened occasionally.

After this, Peltier reported noticing the baby had one eye partially closed. The baby’s breathing was abnormal, and her leg was shaking on the way to the hospital. Peltier reported the child had not been near drugs, alcohol or nicotine, but said she had used nicotine for the first half of the pregnancy. She also said Prettypaint had once been arrested for driving under the influence.

After the interview, Dr. Tagrid Ruiz at Primary Children’s Hospital told Webb the baby had been given an MRI and a breathing tube. The victim was reportedly listed as “critically ill, mechanically ventilated and sedated.” Bleeding had been located between the brain and skull. The child was still having seizures. The MRI indicated torn bridging veins and trauma, indicative of shaking.

The rocking reported by Peltier was not consistent with the injuries, according to the affidavit. Fluid retention and swelling was noticed in the newborn’s neck muscles with no external injuries. Retinal hemorrhaging was also reported.

Ruiz wrote that findings “are consistent with inertial injury resulting from acceleration-deceleration and rotational forces, typically associated with shaking injury ... and are consistent with abusive head trauma.”

Ruiz informed Webb that “there was no reasonable or plausible alternative,” according to the affidavit.

Ruiz also said there was possibly a 10-minute difference between the parents being alone with her, so neither Peltier nor Prettypaint could be ruled out.

The affidavit states that another of the couple’s children had been treated at Primary Children’s Hospital in February for a fractured left femur the parents had attributed to a fall down the stairs. The Evanston Police Department and the Department of Family Services were involved in that incident. The same child had also been treated in August and December for a tibial fracture and a burn on the hand, respectively.

If convicted, Prettypaint and Peltier will face up to 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.