Port St. Lucie man arrested, accused of breaking baby's hand in attempt to break thumb-sucking habit

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- A  Port St. Lucie man was arrested Wednesday after officers say he broke his 5-month- old daughter’s hand “in an attempt to break her of the habit of sucking her thumb.”

Police say Orane Gowans, 28, admitted to slapping his child’s hand and pulling it from her mouth. Doctors said Gowans' child had multiple broken bones in her hand after the alleged incident.

According to an arrest report, the baby’s mother notified police that her baby’s hand appeared swollen and she was fussy. When she tried to touch her daughter’s hand, she would begin crying.

When the mother asked Gowans about the hand, he told her it was probably an insect bite and that he did not want her to take the baby to the doctor, according to police.

Due to the child’s injuries and Gowans admission to police, he was taken to the St. Lucie County Jail and charged with child abuse, the arrest report states.