Judge orders psychological exam for Santa Rosa mom accused of beating baby

A Santa Rosa mom who was arrested on felony child abuse charges after her 2½-month-old son was hospitalized with serious injuries was ordered Tuesday to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Judge Shelly Averill ordered the examination for Monserrat Salgado, 19, who remains in custody on $160,000 bail. Salgado, dressed in a blue jail uniform, said nothing but smiled during a brief court appearance.

Salgado’s case has received international coverage in a report by the popular Univision program “Primer Impacto.”

Family members who previously said Salgado was innocent and that the baby must have been injured in an accident declined to comment outside court. A woman in the group said Salgado’s lawyer advised her to make no further statements.

The child’s father also declined to comment as he walked down a hallway.

Prosecutor Holly Holcomb said investigators still were trying to figure out how the baby was hurt. The injuries were discovered after Salgado brought the baby to the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Rosa on Sept. 6.

Salgado was arrested the next day.

Since then, Salgado has told authorities three different stories about what happened, Holcomb said.

The prosecutor described the baby as conscious but with “extensive injuries” at an Oakland children’s hospital. Among the injuries are broken bones, including a fractured leg, along with head injuries, she said.

“It took an extreme amount of force to cause the fractures he sustained,” Holcomb said.

She said tests were being conducted to determine the seriousness of the head wounds.

Salgado, meanwhile, is charged with felony child abuse with an enhancement for causing great bodily injury. The charges carry a possible prison sentence.

The judge ordered a psychologist to examine her in the county jail. A report on her mental condition will be presented Friday, the judge said.

If Salgado is found to be unable to assist in her own defense, proceedings could be halted until her competence is restored.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.