Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar urged overwhelmed parents to step away from crying babies before they hurt them after authorities say a 21-year-old man broke his 2-month-old son’s leg out of frustration.
Jonathan Moreno was arrested over the weekend after investigators said he confessed to squeezing the baby’s leg hard enough to break his femur because the infant would not stop crying, Salazar said.
Moreno was charged with injury to a child, a felony under the Texas penal code. He posted a $75,000 bond and was released Sunday from the Bexar County jail.
The baby had swelling and was taken to a hospital, where doctors determined the injury was most likely not accidental. Salazar said the femur is a large bone that “takes a lot of force,” even in a baby, to break it.
“For us, the frustrating part in law enforcement is the baby obviously can’t tell you it hurts,” Salazar said. “They can’t tell us who did what to them or when.”
Salazar said he knows as a parent that a screaming baby can be frustrating. But the sheriff said caregivers who feel overwhelmed with frustration need to let the baby scream, walk away, and call a friend or family member.
“Walk away,” Salazar said. “There’s nothing wrong with setting down the baby and walking away and let the baby cry in another room if need be.”
The Mayo Clinic suggests that caregivers take a 10- to 15-minute break to try to calm down in a separate room. Some activities that may help include taking deep breaths, listening to music, or meditating.
Salazar even suggested calling authorities at a non-emergency line in a worst-case scenario.
The sheriff’s office can be reached at 210-335-6000, and the San Antonio police non-emergency line is 210-207-7273.
“It’s not going to help the situation,” Salazar said of caregivers who take their anger out on a baby. “You’ll put the baby at risk of serious bodily injury or death. You risk going to prison for the rest of your life.”