TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Lakeland Woman Accused Of Abusing 1-Month-Old

ADVERTISEMENT

TBO.com

Published: January 30, 2009

Updated: 01/30/2009 05:27 pm

A Lakeland woman is accused of fracturing the skull of a 1-month-old boy, officials said.

Carmen Cardenas, 36, is charged with felony aggravated child abuse. She was held without bail at the Polk County Jail today.The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested Cardenas on Thursday.

She told detectives that on two occasions when the baby would not stop crying, she grabbed him and swung him, striking his head on the crib, the sheriff's office said.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Carrie Eleazer said she could not indicate the child's relationship to Cardenas because he is a victim of child abuse.

Medical staff at Bartow Regional Medical Center had the baby flown to St. Joseph's Children's Hospital on Wednesday after Cardenas and her husband, Ruben Gonzalez-Valtierra, brought him in for treatment, an affidavit states. The child was breathing erratically and had turned yellow in the face.

At St. Joseph's, medical staff told detectives the baby had suffered a bruise to the back of the head, a bruise to the right side of his forehead above his eye, a fracture to the right side of his skull above his ear, two bruises on the front of his body above his groin, and a cut on his genitals.

The child is in critical but stable condition.

When detectives interviewed Gonzalez-Valtierra, he told them he had noticed the bruises a week ago. He said he suspected his wife of abusing the child but did not see enough evidence to confront her, the sheriff's office said.

Cardenas is being held on $500,000 bail at the Polk County Jail.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT