Monday, March 26, 2012

CPS caregiver sentenced in child abuse case - Arizona

By Breann Bierman

CHANDLER, AZ (CBS5) - A caregiver for Child Protective Services has been sentenced to 10 years probation for child abuse.

A judge sentenced Angelica Jimenez Thursday morning, according to the Maricopa County Superior Court.

In January, Jimenez plead guilty to one count of Child Abuse and Hindering Prosecution.

Chandler Police arrested Jimenez in August after a baby girl she was caring for was rushed to the hospital. Jimenez initially told police she was alone when the infant stopped breathing.

Doctors found multiple bruises, abrasions and a cigarette burn on the baby's body. It was also discovered that the baby had 14 broken bones, some believed to have been caused by severe shaking.

Detectives learned later that Jimenez was with her boyfriend, Steven Saldana, when the baby was found not breathing and that he'd been staying at her home.

After a number of interviews, Jimenez admitted that she knew Saldana had been abusing the baby since the end of July, but that she never called police or CPS.

Police said Saldana is a convicted felon with a long criminal history. He faces three counts of child abuse in the case.

Source http://www.wave3.com/story/16547172/cps-caregiver-pleads-guilty-to-child-abuse

7 comments:

  1. This is a very alarming case. How can an innocent child defend himself from such abuse? We often give much trust to people who are expected to be there to take care of our children, and it is often a mystery what pushes them to hurt the children they are supposed to take care of. It can be psychologically driven. Apparently, psychological incapacity is also used to get lighter sentences.

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  2. I can’t imagine people can do something so brutally heartless to a helpless child. I hope family of the victim finds a capable lawyer to defend their case in court. We can’t let psychologically troubled people be in charge of our safety.

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  3. Steven Saldana will surely pay for the torture he inflicted on this defenseless child. Poor little girl, she doesn't deserve this inhumane act. People, if you know that you cannot handle the child, make a phone call. I am sure there's someone out there who would help you. Hurting the baby won't do any good if you do so. And if it so happened, that you wear the same shoes as Angelica Jimenez, inform the police about it before you end up like her.

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  4. We hire caregivers for the skills that they have. We hire them because we are confident that they will take care of our children, but, it turned out to be different in this case. So, to parents out there, you must be careful in hiring a caregiver. Make sure that she’ll provide you with all the important documents that you need, and be sure that she really has love and concern for kids. Though, a little background check never hurt.

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  5. It’s very heartbreaking to read news like this. It’s just really hard to rely on other people these days, especially when it comes to taking care of our kids. You really have to make sure that you’re hiring someone whom you can trust. This incident also reminds us that as a parent, you are really meant to look after your children. You should be the one to supervise them. It doesn’t mean that you need to be there all the time, but you have to make sure that you give your child the proper attention and guidance that they need.

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  6. This is not the family's caregiver. This is someone cps hired.

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