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Teen charged with squeezing infant hard enough to break his rib, biting him and punching his mother

VelazquezA Roxbury man was ordered held in lieu of $50,500 bail at his arraignment on charges he abused an infant and beat the baby's mother in the woman's apartment on Old Colony Avenue in South Boston, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

According to prosecutors, Steven Velazquez, 19, assaulted the two-month-old in his mother's sometime between Jan. 12 and 14, breaking his rib and leaving him with two bite marks on his right arm, and a third bite mark on the inner left leg. However, the child received no medical care until Jan. 22, when police arrived at the apartment to investigate a report of child abuse. EMTs then took the infant to Children's hospital. Prosecutors said that Velasquez broke the boy's rib by squeezing him.

Velazquez also punched the baby's mother in the face twice on New Year's Day, the DA's office alleges.

Velazquez was arraigned today on four counts of assault and battery on a child causing injury and two counts of assault and battery. The DA's office says he has previously faced charges of violating a restraining order, although he did not have one against him when he was arrested Friday.

The DA's office adds that even if he makes bail, Velazquez won't be going anywhere - a judge in South Boston District Court revoked his bail bail on an outstanding larceny charge.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

That's a teen?

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Your boyfriend breaks your infant child's ribs between Jan 12 and Jan 14 and you bring the baby to the hospital on Jan 22? Willful neglect anyone? She needs a little time in jail so she can think about where her child's life is headed if she doesn't smarten up.

Before you all go flaming me - I am a survivor of two abusive relationships. I know that she has a tough life with him but I can't imagine not protecting my child.

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It may actually difficult to tell, without an x-ray or a rib sticking out, that an infant has an injury like a broken rib. The kid feels pain and fusses and cries and all that, sure, but it is really difficult to figure out exactly what is wrong with the little ones. That's one of the things that is odd about the latest nanny case - the kid had healing injuries that the parents didn't notice, either. How could they not notice? Because babies do cry a lot normally and can't tell you where it hurts.

A friend of mine didn't know that her infant had a couple broken ribs after a car accident, despite having her kid evaluated by an ER and the family doctor after the event. Is she a horrible parent who deserves to be jailed for not just knowing? For thinking the kid was just fussy or teething because he'd been checked out?

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The ribs are hard to notice, as you've noted. I agree with that completely.

I find it hard to believe the bite marks were unnoticed though.

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I realize after reading that OB thread that you're in a fighting mood and quite frankly, I am not, so just flame me however you wish after I post this:

1) Infants don't teethe so any wailing from pain couldn't have been from that.
2) The child had bite marks. Did your friend's kid have bite marks?

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Yeah, that is pretty sketchy - but not necessarily worth a trip to the doctor if you don't know where the rent money is coming from.

We don't know how old the mother is, or what kind of threats she was under. I'd want to know more before further victimizing her with a jail term. It may have taken her a week or so to figure out a secure way to take the baby to the doctor without reprisals.

ps - I'm actually not in a fighting mood after that little game of poke the sycophantic hive. That was work stress therapy

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Domestic violence is complicated. He was likely threatening her if she told anyone what happened.

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This guy is a POS. And any woman who has a relationship with this POS is going to have some issues of her own. Sad all around.

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I'm sorry, domestic violence is not complicated when your childs safety is involved. What the hell is wrong with these mothers? They let monsters near their children.

As a single parent (father, mother, nanny, jack of all trades), my child is first in my life. I've dated and not mentioned my child at all. Sure times were pretty tough for me financially but there's no compromise, no amount of money for rent, or whatever is worth my childs health.

Sorry but I place more blame on these "mothers" and my sympathy is for the children. No excuses...

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You know this as your partner has attacked, abused, and threatened you?

Because you grew up in a violent household?

Or because HERE'S SOMEBODEY I CAN JUDGE AND FEEL ALL SUPERIOR TO! YEAH!

Perhaps her way of protecting the child is to not do things that get them both killed? Think of that?

Empathy: you should learn it. You should teach your child.

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Sorry, disagree. Why would she hang around with this guy in the first place?

No excuse.

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He threatened and beat a woman and child. Terrorized them, in fact.

We HAVE to find a way to blame her for something - can't let it be the sole responsibility of the abuser. After all, men can't be expected to control themselves, amirite?

Can't have ourselves a wonderful patriarchy if we don't both beat women into submission and then blame them for being submissive, amirite?

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Look, I have no idea where you're going with this but you don't know my situation or what I've been through either.

Not sure if you're a mother or not, but "normal" mothers will protect their children from harm no matter what it takes.

Nope, no excuses.

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New reports this morning. The mother never even brought the baby to the hospital. Police responded to the home on a call that their was child abuse occurring.

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I've amended the original post to make that clear (I originally wrote something like "the mother took the infant to the hospital," because I misread what the press release on the case said and, to be honest, just could not conceive that the mother would NOT bring her baby to the hospital, sigh, what an awful, awful story).

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SO your "19 yr old boyfriend" who looks about 40 breaks your baby's ribs and bites him and you wait 10 DAYS to go to the hospital!!! Are you freaking kidding me?!?! 10 minutes would have been too long. Hope this scum rots, and the mom is investigated for neglect. Disgraceful....

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