‘Tortured’ toddler, discovered during a traffic stop, is recovering as new details emerge about the case
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SHOSHONE COUNTY — A child who was found beaten and in critical condition during an Idaho State Police traffic stop last month has made significant progress in his recovery.
Court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com reveal the man driving a van carrying the child was trying to get help for the toddler and was not suspected of abusing the boy.
The traffic stop
On Dec. 11, ISP trooper Justin Klitch stopped 59-year-old Jorge Gonzalez-Vergel on Interstate 90 after police say Gonzalez-Vergel committed a traffic violation. A woman, 1-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy were also in the van.
RELATED: ISP troopers discover injured woman, severely abused toddler during traffic stop
The trooper observed “physical trauma” on the woman’s face and multiple injuries on the 2-year-old. The boy was rushed to the Sacred Heart Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Spokane, Washington, with critical injuries. Numerous marks and scars were visible on his body, and doctors discovered severe brain injuries, according to an ISP news release.
Court documents show the boy had multiple brain bleeds and large gash-like scars consistent with being whipped. Days after law enforcement found the children, he was still showing signs of paralysis on the left side of his face.
Doctors told Washington detectives the injuries “meet the definition of child torture,” according to court documents.
The 1-year-old girl was taken to Shoshone Medical Center for evaluation. Court documents state her hair follicle sample tested positive for THC and methamphetamine.
The 2-year-old was released from the ICU on Dec. 18, with ISP tweeting that he was “alert, engaging and playful.” Redmond Washington Police Department Spokeswoman Andrea Wolf-Buck tells EastIdahoNews.com the child is now out of the hospital. The Northern Idaho Child Advocacy Center is working to ensure both children are placed in safe homes.
UPDATE- Baby J is out of ICU!!! Sgt. Klitch just left Sacred Heart Hospital and said Baby J is alert, engaging and playful. We are all so thankful for the hard work and care of the Sacred Heart Pediatric ICU team! Still work to do but good news none the less.
— Idaho State Police (@ispdistrict1) December 15, 2018
Washington child abuse investigation
The Redmond Police Department began investigating the alleged child abuse days before the traffic stop.
On Dec. 5, patrol officers in Washington responded to an apartment complex for a report of domestic violence, according to court documents. At the time, police were told a man hit a woman and her baby before running from the apartment.
When police arrived, court documents state the woman, who was later found in the van with Gonzalez-Vergel, opened the door with noticeable injuries to her face. She told police she was knocked unconscious by a man with whom she had previously been in a relationship. She said she believed he had also attacked her 2-year-old boy and had been “violently aggressive” toward the toddler since March 2018.
Police found the alleged attacker down the road and arrested him after learning he was wanted on a felony warrant.
Court documents show investigators thought the suspect was drunk and under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the incident.
Wolf-Buck said detectives are investigating the child abuse and filed an affidavit in December at the King County Superior Court. Prosecutors are preparing an arrest warrant, but because the suspect has not yet been charged, EastIdahoNews.com is not reporting his name.
A father rescuing his son
Gonzalez-Vergel was contacted by the victim shortly after the Dec. 5 incident asking for a ride to escape the situation, according to court documents.
Gonzalez-Vergel drove over 1,300 miles from South Dakota to Redmond so he could pick up the mother and their two children. He told detectives when he got the call for help, he was unaware of the child abuse.
He said he knew something was wrong with his 2-year-old when the toddler only opened one eye and could not move properly. Gonzalez-Vergel figured the boy had already been treated by medical professionals, as the case was being investigated by Washington police, but he planned on taking the toddler to see a doctor in South Dakota.
Once Gonzalez-Vergel picked up the children and their mother, they began the drive back to South Dakota, according to court documents.
While traveling through Idaho, ISP stopped the van and found the 2-year-old lying in the back seat unresponsive. Troopers discovered methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the van and Gonzalez-Vergel was in possession of a handgun.
Police determined Gonzalez-Vergel was not the person who abused the woman and child, who were given immediate medical care.
Gonzalez-Vergel was arrested and booked into the Shoshone County Jail for trafficking methamphetamine and being in possession of a firearm as a felon. He was arraigned, pleaded guilty and sentenced Jan. 9 by District Judge Scott Wayman.
Defense attorneys argued that Gonzalez-Vergel is a good person who was on his way home “after having rescued his child,” the Shoshone News-Press reported.
While in custody, Gonzalez-Vergel reportedly admitted to detectives that he planned to use the firearm to kill the abuser at a later time.
Gonzalez-Vergel was given two concurrent three-year prison sentences for the felony charges. He is also facing charges in North Dakota and has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold in place, according to court documents.