‘Please stop, just stop!’ Man grips face of crying baby and causes bruises, cops say
A mother left her 3-month-old baby girl with a man for six hours. When she got her baby back she had bruises on her face. Deputies say the man is to blame.
Jonathon Rodriguez, 29, was alone with the baby, who was inconsolable and crying for the almost entirety of the six hours they were together on Oct. 24, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies did not disclose the relationship between Rodriguez and the baby.
When Mom picked up the baby, saw the bruises and confronted Rodriguez. He denied causing them. The mom then took the baby to the hospital for several medical tests, which all came back negative for any significant injuries, deputies said.
She then took the girl to Pasco Kid’s First Protection Team, who confirmed that the baby was neglected and abused.
“This is a non-accidental inflicted injury and represents physical abuse ... the history is concerning in that the child was truck or grabbed with such force that bruises were left to the area,” the team said.
When deputies went to speak to Rodriguez, he again denied causing the injuries to the baby and that they appeared within a few hours of him getting her.
After arresting on Wednesday, deputies said Rodriguez admitted to causing the bruises and said, “I have never been so frustrated in my life.”
He said he grabbed the baby by the face and held her for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes before letting go and saying ,“Please just stop, just stop!”
The baby continued to cry for about 20 minutes before eventually calming down.
Rodriguez was charged with child abuse.
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