"Toddler John" SALDANA - 4 yo - Watsonville CA

Watsonville CA --- Two men are in
custody after a 4-year-old boy was found badly beaten in Watsonville.Police
said they were called to the Villa la Posada Apartments in the 100
block of Rodriguez Street on Friday and found the boy in a car with a
bruised face and swollen eyes that appear to be caused by blunt force
trauma.The boy was dropped off Thursday by his mother and
stepfather, Armando Saldana, 26, at an apartment complex where Armando's
family lives.


Jose Ornelas (left), Armando Saldana (right)

Police said that at some point Jose Luis Ornelas -- a family
acquaintance -- came to the apartment complex to babysit the child. When
Saldana came back to the apartment complex to pick up the boy, he found
him with multiple bruises and confronted Ornelas.Saldana did not
report the incident to police or seek medical attention.Officers
were then called to the apartment complex on Friday when the boy's
mother found out what took place.Officers then arrested Ornelas,
21, on suspicion of child abuse and battery.Saldana was later
arrested on child endangerment charges because he did not report the
child's injuries to police, authorities said.The boy is in stable
condition at a local hospital and an investigation is ongoing.Police
said that even they are having a tough time understanding why this
crime took place."I can tell you the members of our staff here
are just outraged that this crime had occurred and we're happy to take a
couple of people into custody for this," said Darren Thompson, of the
Watsonville Police Department.The boy's mother, meanwhile, said
that her son was being cared for by Saldana's
grandmother so the parents could go to a doctor's appointment.Neighbors
of the family said they are in shock when they learned of the beating."It
gives me (a) shock because that kid doesn't have anything to do with
any problems (anyone) had," Susana Carrillo said. "Maybe (Ornelas) was
mad or had anger problems and he took off on the kid, and that was
really wrong."

A 21-year-old Watsonville man was sentenced to six years in prison
Wednesday for attacking his three-year-old nephew.Prosecutors
said Jose Luis Ornelas Jr. repeatedly punched his nephew in the face
while the child visited relatives in Watsonville.The attack took
place on March 18 and left the child with two black eyes and swelling to
the face that lasted several days, prosecutors said.Ornelas was
charged with felony child abuse after he was arrested.Prosecutors
said Ornelas also confessed to battering the child and said he did it
because he "hates kids.""When a grown man beats up a defenseless
three-year-old child, that's a one-way ticket to state prison in our
book," said Assistant District Attorney Jason Gill in a news release.The
victim's step-father, Armando Saldana, 27, was charged with felony
child endangerment in connection with the case.Saldana pleaded no
contest and is awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled for July 26.