A Twin Falls couple is in the Ada County Jail after investigators determined their one-year-old son had been severely beaten several times since last fall, according to an Ada County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Rudy A. Garcia and Angelica M. Najera are both being held in the Jail on a $200,000 bond. Both are charged with felony injury to child —- with the enhanced count of infliction of great bodily injury —- in connection with the case.
Garcia is also charged with felony counts of grand theft and burglary in connection with the theft of power tools from a construction site in Meridian earlier this year, the release said.
“It was during that investigation when Ada County Sheriff’s detectives discovered the injuries to the boy, which included severe bruising all over his body,” the release stated. The injuries were apparently so severe, paramedics had to take him to a local hospital for immediate treatment.
Detectives declared the boy and the couple’s two other preschool age kids to be in imminent danger on Feb. 4th and placed the children into the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Deputies began their investigation Feb. 1st after getting a report someone stole over $1,400 worth of power tools from four different contractors working on a construction site in the 7300 block of Linder Road, according to the report.
“By Feb. 4th, deputies had identified Garcia, who worked on the site, and Najera to be the suspects in the theft of the tools. They found evidence Garcia took the tools from the site and Najera attempted to sell them,” the release stated.
Deputies located Najera the morning of Feb. 4 at the construction site and spoke with her about the theft of tools. That’s when they found out about the physical abuse of the boy, officials said.
Detectives found Garcia later that day at a hotel in the 1000 block of South Progress Avenue with the couple’s three children. Bags were packed and it appeared the couple was ready to leave and go back to the Twin Falls area, despite having one more day in the hotel paid for, the release said.
Detectives interviewed Garcia and arrested him a short time later on the grand theft and burglary charges. The bond for those two charges is $250,000.
Detectives continued to work on the child abuse case. A grand jury indicted both Garcia and Najera on felony injury to child charges Feb. 14th.
Garcia was already in jail on the other charges when he was served with a new arrest warrant.
Deputies arrested Najera on Feb. 17th and booked her into the jail.
Both have an arraignment hearing set for March 7th.
The crime of felony injury to child, with the enhanced charge of infliction of great bodily injury, is punishable by up to thirty years in prison.
