May 31—Berks County detectives have charged a 21-year-old man with two cases of child abuse after an infant suffered two serious injuries while being handled by him within a two-month period, according to a pair of criminal complaints.

Guillermo Rivera of Perkiomen Avenue was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of a total of $20,000 bail to await hearings in both cases following arraignment Friday night before District Judge Steven M. Chieffo in Reading Central Court.

He had not posted bail as of Wednesday, according to online court records.

In both cases Rivera faces charges of aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangerment and child endangerment by a parent or guardian.

According to investigators:

Berks County Children & Youth Services opened a child abuse investigation after a 2-month-old girl was treated in Reading Hospital and then Penn State Hershey Medical Center for a broken right femur. The caseworker indicated that Rivera said the injury occurred while he was changing the baby's diaper.

A week later, Rivera was interviewed by county detectives. He said the injury occurred Feb. 18 when he was changing the girl's diaper while she was on the bed. He said another infant, who was also on the bed, began to get off the bed, so he grabbed that child while holding the leg of the girl whose diaper he was changing.

He said the girl's leg twisted inward and he heard a "pop" that made the baby wail.

A Penn State pediatrician described the fractures as highly specific to child abuse, indicative of having her leg grabbed and twisted.

In the second case, county detectives were called by the same Penn State pediatrician on April 10 after the infant, then 4 months old, was admitted to Hershey Medical Center for bleeding around the brain and seizures.

The doctor reported that the girl's mother explained that Rivera had been dancing too hard with the baby, causing her head to bob back and forth.

Doctors said this did not adequately explain the girl's injuries.

Rivera returned to the county detectives office on May 2 for an interview pertaining to the latest injuries.

He said he began to dance with the baby while supporting her head. He said he let go of the baby's head for one second and her head snapped back. He believes this is when she suffered the injury.

Detectives filed the charges in both cases on May 23.