State lawmakers want to create felony child endangerment charge

A case of a baby being punched in the stomach by his father in Glens Falls could bring a change to New York state law.

Two of our lawmakers are now pushing to create harsher penalties for people who endanger the welfare of a child.

The bill was recently introduced in the Assembly days ago. Now it’s in committee in both the Assembly and Senate, the next steps to get it closer to becoming law.

This is a case NewsChannel 13 has been following closely.

The man, Dayton Cross, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and sentenced to 15 days behind bars. He was released after seven.

The baby’s mother, Jessica Sullivan has been fighting to change the law.

Now, State Senator Dan Stec and Assemblyman Matthew Simpson are working together to create a felony charge under endangering the welfare of a child.

Hear the baby’s mom’s thoughts on the proposed change, by watching the video of Subrina Dhammi’s story.