Court docs: Monroe County probationary deputy's daughter found in 'life-threatening' condition

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A Monroe County Sheriff's Department probationary deputy is behind bars and stripped of his badge after his infant child was discovered to be suffering from several serious injuries.




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.




The Indiana State Police are the lead investigators on this case.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/monroe-county-probationary-deputy-arrested-after-infant-found-suffering-from-multiple-injuries/