Man arrested in child abuse investigation

SOUTH SALT LAKE — A man accused of abusing his girlfriend's 2-year-old son was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.

The boy was taken Wednesday to Primary Children's Medical Center with flulike symptoms and vomiting, said South Salt Lake police detective Gary Keller.

When doctors examined him, however, they found multiple bruises and internal injuries consistent with abuse and blunt-force trauma to his abdomen, causing liver and pancreatic damage, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.

Investigators said the injuries appear to be recent.

After the medical staff called police, detectives interviewed the boy's mother, who said her boyfriend may have caused the injuries, according to the jail report. Investigators interviewed the boyfriend, who had moved in with them about two months ago, Keller said, and arrested him.

Justin Patrick Hanson, 20, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of child abuse.

— Pat Reavy