Mom accused of shaking baby denied lower bond

TAMPA, Fla. - The tears came streaming down her face the moment Brienna Craig realized she was not getting out of jail anytime soon. 

The young mom is accused of shaking her 2-month-old baby and causing severe, life-altering injuries.

Prosecutor Lindsey Hodges called this case egregious.

"We have a 7-week-old male victim who is now paralyzed and he’s paralyzed for life because the defendant was annoyed and couldn’t tolerate his crying. She admits to shaking the child," said Hodges.

Craig now faces aggravated child abuse charges.

Friday morning during a bond reduction hearing, Craig’s grandmother, Thelma Clarke tried to show the judge her granddaughter has a softer side.

"She’s very caring, she’s very loving, very understanding, she’s got some medical problems, but we all do. She’s very caring," said Clarke. 

Craig explained to the judge, since she’s been in jail for the last eight months, she’s taken a lot of self-help classes.

"I’ve learned about coping with a lot of trauma and everything and just talking and communication," said Craig.

In addition, she promised to keep working on herself if she gets out of jail.

"I’m going to get counseling, medication, just anything I can think of, that’s what I’m going to do," said Craig.

However, that did not appear to satisfy Hillsborough Circuit Judge Michael Williams. He kept the bond at $75,000.