Dec 28 2008
14 year old boy who injured his son to be tried as a juvenile.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/272996.php
Tucson boy, 14, accused of injuring son to be tried as juvenile
Arizona Daily Star
December 23, 2008
A 14-year-old Tucson boy accused of severely injuring his infant son last August will be tried as a juvenile in February.
Judge Jane Eikleberry decided last month that Ismael Robles’ case should not be transferred to adult court, said Deputy Pima County Attorney Barbara Galvan.
The judge’s decision was made following a series of hearings that were intended to provide details on the case itself and the boy’s psychological history, educational background and past behavioral issues, if any.
Robles was charged with five counts of child abuse after telling authorities he shook his 7-week-old child and struck the baby’s head on a car-seat handle, causing two skull fractures, according to court records.
The boy also said he squeezed the baby, resulting in five broken ribs, and pulled his legs, causing two leg fractures.
The baby remains in foster care, Galvan said.
The case against the boy will be heard Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.
Robles turns 15 Feb. 10.
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Yes you heard right, a teenaged “parent” who abused his own child. Of course, there is no mention of the child’s young mother in this article. There is probably much more to the story than what the AZ Daily Star reports. Even though the rate of teenaged pregnancies have dropped in Arizona over the past few years, the state still has a higher than average rate than the rest of the nation (http://www.azdhs.gov/plan/report/tp/teen96/index.htm). It is always tragic when an infant is abused like this but when it comes from another child who is the “parent” it is even worse. The other thing not mentioned in the article is Robles’ parents, if he has any. He could very well come from a broken home, hooked up with a girl, then got her pregnant. Not a very smart thing to do on his part. I don’t think he should be tried as a juvenile though - with an action like this, he should be tried as an adult, especially if that child is really his.
