Baby’s injuries detailed in abuse case facing Santa Rosa teen mom

Three doctors who treated a 2½-month-old infant who detectives said was abused by his 19-year-old Santa Rosa mother detailed the child’s injuries Friday during a preliminary hearing, Sonoma County District’s Attorney officials said.

The baby suffered a broken arm, broken legs, a black eye and had been deprived of oxygen, Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Staebell said.

Out of concern for a potential brain injury, the infant was flown to Children’s Hospital Oakland and placed on a ventilator, Staebell said. Although doctors have said the baby’s prognosis is good, the long-term effects of his injuries are not yet known, Staebell said.

At the Friday morning hearing, Judge Gary Medvigy ruled that there was enough evidence against the mother, Monserrat Salgado, to hold a trial on a felony charge of willfully inflicting injury on a child with an enhancement for causing great bodily injury, according to Staebell. The charges carry a possible prison sentence.

The investigation began Sept. 6 when the child was brought to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Rosa, where the infant’s injuries led hospital staff to alert the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. The infant eventually was taken to Children’s Hospital Oakland.

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

Salgado was ordered by a separate judge to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and she remains in custody at the Sonoma County Jail on $160,000 bail.

The next court hearing is Oct. 15.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated the infant’s injuries. Doctors who testified in court during a preliminary hearing did not report any known brain injury.