JACKSON, Mich. -- A former US Army paratrooper who served two tours of duty in Iraq has been ordered tried on charges of raping and critically injuring a 3-month-old girl.
Kirk Coleman is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and first-degree child abuse, charges that carry up to life in prison.
Authorities say the then-27-year-old Coleman attacked the baby Sept. 14 in Jackson County's Blackman Township, about 65 miles west of Detroit.
The girl sustained brain damage and 17 broken bones and is undergoing therapy. District Judge R. Darryl Mazur ruled Tuesday there's enough evidence to warrant a trial.
Coleman allegedly told investigators he blacked out after drinking heavily and taking painkillers and awoke to find the injured baby in her crib, The Jackson Citizen Patriot reported. WILX-TV says he remains free on $100,000 bond.
Coleman's attorney Dennis Hurst said the burden of proof is low at this stage in the process, and that he believes his client will be found not guilty at trial.
