Wichita man charged with felony abuse said 1-year-old ‘flew’ out of his arms while spinning
By KAKE Staff
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WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) — A Wichita man charged with abuse for allegedly causing critical injuries to a 1-year-old girl last month told a detective that she “flew” out of his arms while he was spinning her around.
Kevin Mitchell has been in jail on $75,000 since December 17. He’s charged with felony child abuse, and his second court appearance is scheduled for Monday afternoon.
EMS responded at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 16, to the report of a child not breathing at a home in the 5500 block of South Handley Street, near 55th and Seneca. They arrived on scene and discovered an unresponsive 1-year-old girl on her back on top of the couch. A probable cause affidavit states that an EMS captain felt the Wichita Police Department should be involved, as “this did not appear to be a medical issue.”
Mitchell, the person who called 911, told the EMS captain that he had been swinging the girl around, playing with her, when she became unresponsive. He said he didn’t know if she’d suffered any head trauma. In the ambulance, a bruise was discovered on her left temple. The child was taken to a local hospital and admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in extremely critical condition. She had suffered head trauma and multiple bruises on her left leg, stomach and chest, the court document states. He also had abrasions and scars.
The child was listed as critical but stable the following morning, according to Wichita police.
The child’s mother told a detective that she left her children with Mitchell so she could give plasma. She said she received a text from Mitchell, who stated that the 1-year-old was unresponsive and the ambulance was taking her to the hospital. Mitchell picked her up and took her there.
The mother reported that before she left to give plasma, her daughter was acting normally and did not appear to be sick or injured. During an interview on December 17, the mother said she saw Mitchell grab the girl’s face around her mouth when she was misbehaving.
“(The mother) reported that on December 13, 2025, she was in the bedroom with all three of her kids when (the victim) would not go to sleep and was talking. (The mother) stated she used Kevin’s brown leather belt and spanked (the victim) twice on the left leg. She said this was in the middle of the night.”
A detective asked about scratches on the child’s shoulder, and she said they could have been caused by her grabbing her daughter by the shoulder. She said in a later interview that an abrasion on her daughter’s left shoulder must have been from Kevin. She said bruising and scarring on the child’s left thigh were from spankings with a belt.
“She said that if she must physically discipline the kids, she usually just slaps them with an open hand on the thigh,” she told the detective.
A forensic nurse found injuries, including bruising and scratches, on two other children, ages 6 months and 2 years. Some she attributed to Mitchell, and others, she said, were from her spanking one of the kids with a belt.
As far as the 1-year-old’s head injury, Mitchell said he did not know how she would have received such an injury. He said he picked her up, was throwing her up into the air, and then spun her around and tossed her on the bed.
“Kevin eventually told the Detective he was inside the bedroom spinning around with (the victim) lying in his arms when he tripped over the edge of the bed and (the victim) ‘flew’ out of his arms and struck her head on the windowsill/shelf and fell to the ground between the wall and the bed.”
WPD spokesperson Kristopher Gupilan said five children between the ages of 6 months and 9 years were in the home at the time of the incident. All were placed in police protective custody. Mitchell is the only one charged in the case, court records show.
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