Injured 5-week-old not left in good hands: Grandmother’s criminal record included child abuse arrest
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The suspect, Ivallessee Rodriguez, 34, was granted a $75,000 bond by General Sessions Judge Larry Ross Monday following a bond reduction hearing. She was formerly under a $100,000 bond. Her attorney, Steve Roller, says he doubts his client can make any bond.
Rodriguez and her daughter, Anais Ramirez, 17, are both charged with aggravated child abuse for the serious injuries sustained by Ramirez’s infant son last week. Investigators say Ramirez admitted to shaking and throwing the baby while at her teen-age boyfriend’s apartment. The baby remains under treatment at Vanderbilt Hospital. Prosecutors want to try Ramirez as an adult.
Rodriquez is charged with aggravated child abuse for allegedly failing to seek treatment for the toddler after realizing her grandson had suffered serious brain injuries when her daughter left the child in her care.
During Monday’s bond reduction hearing, Roller questioned the strength of the evidence against his client, pointing out District Attorney Investigator Jason Rowland testified there were no outward marks on the baby to indicate child abuse. Roller also noted the child was taken by private vehicle, not ambulance, from the local doctor’s office to Vanderbilt, further indicating even doctors did not realize the severity of the baby’s injuries. Roller said, like most mothers, it would have been difficult for Rodriguez to believe her daughter could have injured the baby.
“The very last thing a parent wants to believe is their child has done something wrong,” Roller said. “My client had no way of knowing what had happened to the child.”
However, prosecutors countered that Rodriguez herself had taken the child from her daughter because she reportedly felt something was wrong with the child. District Attorney General Dale Potter further went on to point out Rodriguez had made the statement that she was a nurse’s aide and believed the child had suffered some type of neurological damage given his symptoms. Potter added Rodriguez had said she saw the child’s condition worsening while she kept him overnight, but still returned the injured toddler to her daughter the following morning.
Given the arguments over evidence, Judge Ross cautioned the attorneys that evidence regarding guilt or innocence should only be argued during preliminary hearing and during trial. Instead, Ross cautioned the attorneys to limit their arguments to bond reduction.
However, the bond reduction question was barely an issue as concerns over Rodriguez’s past criminal record and her limited ties to the community left the court little alternative but to leave a high bond.
During the hearing it was revealed Rodriguez had been arrested in Florida in the past on child abuse charges, allegedly involving the child who now faces charges for abusing her own baby. Rodriguez also admitted to past charges of exploitation of the elderly and worthless check charges. Potter also claimed Rodriguez had been investigated for allegedly prostituting her daughter for drug money. Rodriguez denied her guilt.
While disputing some of her past record, Rodriguez, who has lived locally with her boyfriend for about a year, said she would not flee the area if released on bond. She is originally from Puerto Rico and has family ties in South America, New York and Florida.
“I want to prove my innocence and I will go as far as it takes to do that,” Rodriguez said.
While given a limited bond reduction, both Rodriguez and her daughter will appear for hearing April 15. Rodriguez will face preliminary hearing while her daughter will face a transfer hearing. The hearings were supposed to be held Monday, but the defense asked for, and was granted, more time to prepare.
“One week is probably not enough to prepare for something this serious,” Ross said. “This is something that once it’s done, it cannot be undone. There’s a significant difference in the sentences this girl is facing. If she’s tried as an adult she could face 15 to 25 years at 85 percent while if she remains a juvenile, she could not be held past her 19th birthday.”
The hearings will be held at 1:30 p.m. April 15. Both suspects are being held pending hearing.
In a bookkeeping matter, Rodriguez’s name was officially re-listed on the warrant. She had originally been arrested under the name Machada, the name of her estranged husband.