By rssfeeds-admin 
Noel Hernandez Jr., 25, of Bloomington was charged on Wednesday with neglect of a dependent resulting in catastrophic injury, a Level 1 felony; neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, a Level 3 felony and two counts of battery as a Level 3 felony.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, on May 19, deputies were informed about an infant admitted into IU Health Bloomington Hospital with multiple injuries in various stages of healing. Deputies identified Hernandez as the father of the child.
The sheriff’s department said that due to the suspicious nature of the injuries, state police were contacted to conduct an independent investigation. According to court documents, the 3-month-old child was suffering from several broken ribs, appeared to have suffered a stroke and showed signs of shaken baby syndrome, such as a possible fracture in the neck and hemorrhages in the brain and eyes.
On May 20, doctors listed the current status of the child’s injuries as “life-threatening.”
One account told to investigators by the child’s mother involved the baby acting normal until left alone with Hernandez. According to the court documents, the mother arrived home after a trip to Walmart and found the child crying with her eyes shut. The infant allegedly cried with her eyes shut throughout the night and was noted as acting “in a daze.”
Court documents detail investigators questioning Hernandez about the child’s injuries. Investigators claim Hernandez “appeared to be stressed” when told about how it appeared the child was suffering from shaken baby syndrome. He denied harming his daughter, however, saying, “I would never hurt my baby.”
Investigators said Hernandez became “very defensive” after direct questioning about the injuries and refused to speak any further.
On May 21, doctors reaffirmed the trauma inflicted on the infant was “not accidental” and “caused by physical trauma.” That same day, a warrant was issued for Hernandez’s arrest.
Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté terminated Hernandez’s employment upon his arrest. Hernandez was still undergoing initial training and had only joined the sheriff’s department on March 31.
In a press conference held Wednesday night, Sheriff Marté said his office immediately contacted Indiana State Police to help investigate after becoming aware of the allegations pending against Hernandez. He also confirmed that Hernandez’s employment was immediately terminated when criminal charges were filed against him.
“This was very shocking information provided to me and I can tell you that it was very difficult for us, particularly as a father; it was something that all of us gave a lot of thought to on how to move forward,” Sheriff Marté said.
Marté revealed that he was made aware of the infant’s condition on Monday and said his office took these “matters very seriously.”
When questioned about any potential red flags that were raised during a background check into Hernandez before he was hired, Sheriff Marté said his office conducts “stringent” background checks before hiring anyone to work in his office.
“We do a very extensive background, to the point that once a person is considered, we sit down and conduct a polygraph, a psychology, we even go as far as talking with their neighbors,” Sheriff Marté said.
Indiana State Police Sergeant Kevin Getz said the investigation into the case would continue.
“A lot of this is going to be based on medical records, continued interviews with witnesses who may have either seen or heard something,” Getz said. “Certainly, as I have stated before, the case is not over with. Our detectives are continuing to work on any follow-ups on this before they present everything to the prosecutor’s office.”
Discover more from RSS Feeds Cloud
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.