A 31-year-old Hialeah man is facing an aggravated child abuse charge after police say he choked his 14-year-old son and beat him with an extension cord during a confrontation over $23 he accused the boy of taking from his wallet. Alex Antonio Romero Padilla was arrested by Hialeah police and is now being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center under an immigration hold, in addition to the pending criminal case.
According to WPLG Local 10, Hialeah police officers responded to a domestic battery call just after noon last Sunday in the 100 block of West Sixth Street. The boy told police he had woken up around 9 a.m. that day and was watching TikTok on his cellphone when his father confronted him about disobeying house rules and leaving with friends without permission. Romero Padilla told investigators he was the boy's sole caregiver and that he and his son did not have good communication, according to the outlet's report.
Police say Romero Padilla accused the boy of taking $23 from his wallet, then grabbed him by the neck and squeezed it before throwing him to the floor inside a bedroom. Romero Padilla allegedly used a brown extension cord to strike the boy on his back, left arm and right upper thigh, per the police report cited by the station. He reportedly told officers he was trying to correct the boy's behavior after the teen became angry and smirked at him.
Injuries Documented by Investigators and Hospital Staff
Investigators observed bruising on the boy's neck and arms, along with additional marks on his back, right arm and right thigh, the outlet's report states. The boy also told police that Romero Padilla had hit him in the past and that his father had prohibited him from leaving the house or spending time with friends. The boy was taken to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami for treatment, and a special victims detective later obtained a statement from him.
The boy was taken to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami.
Charge Carries a Mandatory Minimum Sentence
Romero Padilla now faces one count of aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm or torture, and as of Tuesday afternoon, his bond was listed as to be set. The charge is aggravated child abuse. The report does not cite a mandatory minimum sentence for the charge.
Florida law recognizes a parental privilege allowing reasonable, non-excessive corporal discipline, but discipline that leaves severe bruises, welts or physical marks exceeds that legal boundary and can constitute criminal child abuse, per Florida Statute 39.01 and the 2002 case Raford v. State, as outlined by the Brancato Law Firm, P.A. The case involves allegations of aggravated child abuse.
Immigration Hold in the Case
Romero Padilla is being held under an immigration hold in addition to the pending criminal case. The report provides no further details about immigration detainers at the facility.
Romero Padilla's account of himself as his son's sole caregiver raises an unresolved question about the teenager's long-term placement and protective care. In Miami-Dade County, such dependency and legal needs are typically managed by the Department of Children and Families alongside the multidisciplinary team at Kristi House, the Orlowitz-Lee Children's Advocacy Center that connects Hialeah police, the State Attorney's Office's Sexual Crimes and Child Abuse Unit and child welfare investigators. The center was created in 1995 to streamline legal, medical and psychological care for minor victims, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
Part of a Recurring Pattern in Miami-Dade
This is not an isolated case in the area. In July, Hialeah teen found chained to fence, when police arrested 34-year-old Yashira Marie Maldonado after surveillance footage allegedly showed her chaining her teenage daughter to a fence without food, shade or water. The article also discusses other recent child-abuse cases in Miami-Dade.
Florida's Department of Children and Families handles reports of physical child abuse, with caregiver allegations routed through the state's 24-hour abuse hotline to Child Protective Investigations teams. Florida Statute 39.201 requires anyone who knows or suspects a child is being abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent or legal custodian to immediately report it to the Florida Abuse Hotline, which operates continuously to dispatch protective investigators. According to a Florida Department of Children and Families guide, suspected abuse, neglect or abandonment by a parent, legal custodian or caregiver must be reported immediately to the Florida Abuse Hotline.
