COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A Columbus man and his girlfriend accused of abusing his 10-month son have made plea deals.
22-year-old Juan Trejo pleaded no contest to felony child abuse after prosecutors dropped two similar charges. Twenty-two-year-old Julie Staroscik pleaded no contest to misdemeanor negligent child abuse after the charge was reduced from a felony. They made their pleas on Monday.
Trejo’s sentencing date is Aug. 15. Staroscik’s is Aug. 25.
Authorities say Trejo fractured the boy’s skull this spring by throwing him to a floor when the baby wouldn’t stop crying. A doctor at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha says the boy had about 20 fractures to his skull, ribs, arms and legs in various stages of healing.
Staroscik is not the boy’s biological mother.