baby picture
Wisconsin father Dustin Appenzeller dripped e-cigarettes’ liquid into 9-month-old’s mouth because he was crying - Representational image Janko Ferlič/ Unsplash

A Wisconsin father, who was too tired to feed his nine-month-old baby, allegedly dripped vaping liquid into the toddler' mouth when he was crying.

Dustin Appenzeller was held after authorities were informed on Thursday (1 February) that an infant at a home on Thunderbird Dr near Erie St was experiencing a medical emergency. Upon reaching the place, they found the baby having a seizure.

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The 30-year-old is now facing charges relating to physical abuse of a child and intentionally causing bodily harm. A bottle of the vaping liquid was recovered from the father's pocket, which was later sent to the hospital for use by doctors in contacting "Poison Control" officials.

When asked about the incident, Appenzeller said, "I don't know. He was crying. I was really tired." He added that he realised the child was crying because of hunger, so he fed him some drops of the liquid used in his e-cigarette.

Local media reports stated that the mother called 911, who took the child to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for treatment.

A witness told investigators that she woke up to the sounds of "oh my god! What did you do? What did you do?" and found the baby "foaming at the mouth" with his father in the bedroom.

Another person present in the house, who was apparently screaming, told emergency officials that she asked the father to feed the baby because he was crying while she went to the restroom. But when she came into the bedroom, she said she found Appenzeller dropping e-cigarettes' liquid into the toddler's mouth and that is when she screamed, "oh my god! What did you do?" To which, Appenzeller confidently replied, "I've done it before. It's fine."

It was not immediately clear how the two witnesses were related to the child and the accused father, but one of them appears to be the child's mother.

Meanwhile, the accused was produced in a court on Thursday and a cash bond of $5,000 (£3,540) for his bail was set. He is due to appear in court again on 8 February for a hearing.