"Toddler John" MONTES - 2 yo (2011) -Riverside CA

http://www.myvalleynews.com/story/60958/

RIVERSIDE - A Riverside woman who allegedly inflicted severe burns on her 2-year-old son for dirtying his bed must stand trial on child abuse and other charges, a judge ruled today.

Christina Lorraine Montes, 28, could face life in prison if convicted of torture, inflicting corporal injury on a child and child endangerment, along with great bodily injury allegations, in the alleged March 2011 assault on her son, identified in court documents as John Doe.

Montes appeared today before Riverside County Superior Judge Elisabeth Sichel for a preliminary hearing, at the end of which the judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to bound the defendant over for trial and set a post- indictment arraignment for Jan. 20.

Montes remains held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

According to testimony from the hearing, the defendant was living in a motel room with her 2- and 10-year-old sons at the time of the alleged assault.

Montes' sometime boyfriend, convicted felon Anthony Armstrong, also stayed at the location from time to time, investigators testified.

The injuries on the 2-year-old were discovered by a family member, who told police.

Deputy District Attorney Kevin Beecham said that child welfare workers took custody of the child and had him undergo an examination at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Doctors there found evidence of recent scarring from second-and third-degree burns on the youngster's buttocks, groin, stomach, arms and left thigh, where most of the damage was concentrated, according to testimony.

"The scar tissue was significant," Beecham said, referring to photographs presented in court. "There were different levels of scarring. In the worst area, the tissue was raised seven millimeters above the surface (of the skin)."

Montes told investigators that the burns had occurred accidentally.

According to testimony, the defendant indicated she was asleep and was awakened by her 2-year-old crying in the middle of the night because he had wet and had a diarrhea spell in his bed.

Montes told police that she filled a bathtub full of water to wash the toddler, placed him in it and left to replace his bed sheets.

Beecham said the defendant told investigators that while she was tending to the bed, the child began yelling for her, and she rushed back to find him outside of the tub, at which point she noticed that his skin was red and the water was a "little too warm."

Montes consulted WebMD.com to determine how to treat the injuries, applying ointment and gauze to them, according to testimony.

She told investigators that the 2-year-old frustrated the healing process by frequently scratching the burned areas.

The child is now in the care of relatives, Beecham said.