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Officials: Bond denied Saturday for man charged with death of 11-month-old

CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — On Saturday, bond for Jeffrey Bradley was denied by a Chester court judge.

Neighbors told Eyewitness News that Bradley was an Iraq war veteran who just returned a year ago.

Bradley is charged with homicide by child abuse in the death of his girlfriend's 11-month-old daughter.

The call came in Wednesday from this home on Hardin Strait Road.

Johnny Fleming said he was there when an ambulance arrived, but deputies said no one was home.

"That is what I heard. We just heard when the ambulance came in and said something happened to the child, so at that point we really didn't know," said Fleming.

Deputies said they later received a call from Levine Children's Hospital, where the baby had been taken.

That is where she died from head injuries on Friday.

Deputies said she had been left alone with Bradley.

"Just shocked. It was disturbing because I've got three kids myself," said Donna Smith who has lived next door for 2 1/2 years. She says she has not spoken with the baby's mother.

"She's a nice girl and everything. We've always kept an eye out for each other," said Smith.

If convicted Bradley faces a possible prison sentence of 20 years to life.

Officials told the Herald that Bradley served in the army as a private and combat engineer from 2003 to May of last year.
He was deployed to Afghanistan for a year in 2005.

He served in Iraq from 2008 until 2009 before he was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas.