Karen Gleason
A 21-year-old Del Rio man is out on bond after he was arrested and charged with severely injuring his girlfriend’s two-year-old son.
Joseph Guajardo, a resident of the 90 block of Esquivel Street, was arrested at his home at 5:55 p.m. on Feb. 5 and charged with the offense of injury to a child, a second-degree felony, Del Rio police wrote in a prepared statement to the 830 Times on Thursday.
The press release notes police became involved in the case when an officer was dispatched to the emergency room at Val Verde Regional Medical Center at 10:31 a.m. on Feb. 5 “for a possible child abuse call.”
“Upon arrival, he (the officer) was escorted to a trauma room where he made contact with a 23-year-old female and a two-year-old male. The two-year-old male had recent visible injuries to his head and face area. (The) child also had recent and old bruising throughout his body,” the police department press released read.
After receiving treatment at the local hospital, the small boy was transported by air ambulance to University Hospital in San Antonio for further treatment “due to the severity of his injuries,” police said.
The officer notified investigators with the police department’s criminal investigations division, and the investigator assigned to the case learned the injured child had been under the care of the 23-year-old woman and the woman’s live-in boyfriend.
“Patrolmen and detectives gathered statements from witnesses, located evidence and prepared a criminal complaint affidavit for an arrest warrant. The affidavit was presented to (83rd Judicial District) Judge Robert Cadena, who found probable cause and issued the arrest warrant (for) Guajardo,” the DRPD press release noted.
Following his arrest, Guajardo was magistrated by Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 Jesse James Treviño. An emergency protective order against Guajardo was also issued.
Treviño told the 830 Times Thursday he set bond at $10,000 in the case.
Treviño said setting bond for someone charged with a criminal offense is an integral part of the legal system and noted there is no specific bond amount that must be set for a particular offense.
“Everyone has the right to bond, and the bond is not a punishment,” Treviño said.
Police said the investigation of the incident is ongoing.
