A Marion County man was arrested March 14 on a felony child abuse charge after deputies responded to a home and found an infant with severe swelling and bruising across both sides of his face, according to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Giovanni Sanchez, 35, was charged with child abuse without great bodily harm. Jail records listed no bond.
According to the affidavit, Marion County Communications received a 911 call at about 1:50 a.m. on March 14 from a caller who reported returning home from work and finding her child with a bruised and swollen face. Deputies responded to the residence and found the juvenile victim, described as only months old, suffering from severe swelling and bruising to both sides of his face. The child was transported as a trauma alert to AdventHealth Ocala.
Investigators wrote that the infant and another juvenile had been alone in a closed bedroom with Sanchez during the period when the injuries occurred.
Witness statements included in the affidavit said the child had been seen multiple times throughout the day on March 13 and did not appear injured or in distress. The affidavit states Sanchez arrived home from work around 6 p.m. and later took over caring for the children while the child’s mother left for work.
A witness told investigators Sanchez appeared to have been drinking moonshine and was slurring his words before taking the children into the bedroom around 11 p.m. The same witness said the infant had no visible injuries and was acting normally before going into the room with Sanchez.
According to the report, sometime around midnight the infant could be heard crying for about 20 minutes. A second witness later told investigators he woke up, heard the child crying behind the closed bedroom door, and then heard what he described as four “smacks.” The same witness said Sanchez later came out of the room, went straight to the bathroom, and closed the door.
When the child was brought back out of the bedroom, witnesses said they immediately noticed injuries including a bruised eye, scratches, and swelling to the face. The child’s mother, who had just returned home from work, also told investigators she immediately saw facial injuries and confronted Sanchez, who allegedly would not explain what happened and remarked that they were “just bruises.”
The affidavit states investigators observed bruising running from the infant’s forehead down toward the chin on both sides of the face, swelling around both eyes, abrasions on the face, and red marks extending behind one ear toward the neck.
During a recorded interview, Sanchez reportedly told investigators he got home from work and saw no injuries on either child. He said he smoked medical marijuana between 5 and 6 p.m., changed diapers, fed the children, and later put the infant down around 8 p.m. He then said he took three shots of moonshine and a shower, but had difficulty remembering what happened after that.
Toward the end of the interview, according to the affidavit, Sanchez said he was sorry and would “take ownership” for what happened, though he said he did not remember doing anything.
Investigators concluded the injuries did not appear consistent with an accident or with the child hurting himself. The affidavit also stated the only other child in the room was too young to have caused injuries of that severity.
Based on the statements and physical evidence, investigators determined there was probable cause to arrest Sanchez on the child abuse charge.
