Sevier County parents are facing serious charges following the hospitalization of their infant with severe head injuries. According to WVLT, deputies from the Sevier County Sheriff's Office were called to LeConte Medical Center last Sunday, where the child was initially treated before being transferred to East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville.
The injuries inflicted upon the infant, severe to the extent doctors immediately questioned their accidental origin, were not in alignment with the narration offered by the child's parents. "Children's Hospital medical staff determined the infant had severe injuries that were not consistent with an accident as had been described by the parents,” WVLT's report based on the sheriff's office's release stated.
A thorough investigation led to the arrest and charging of Arlin Alexander Lainez and Carmelina Azocena Cruz-Ordonez, both in their early 20s, on charges of aggravated child abuse. WBIR noted that the couple is currently being held at the Sevier County Jail with bonds set at $500,000 and $350,000, respectively.
Suffering from what was characterized as "major head trauma" by the response team, the unnamed infant was critical in the condition after being flown to the hospital, as told by Sevier County Sheriff Michael Hodges to WATE. The child remains in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and the predicament has left authorities and the community grappling for answers amid this tragic scenario. The bonds for the accused, set high reflecting the gravity of the charges, remain in the custody of legal proceedings pending, with the parents due for a hearing in Sevier County General Sessions Court.
