Pocatello man pleads guilty to felony injury to child after breaking 1-month-old’s leg
Published at | Updated at
POCATELLO — A Pocatello man pleaded guilty to felony injury to a child after he broke the leg of his 1-month-old son in what police said could have been an accident.
Brock Charles Elquezabal, 24, pleaded guilty to the charge in court Monday. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors plan to recommend Elquezabal spend 30 days in jail and an unspecified time on probation, according to court documents.
Elquezabal was arrested in March after a representative from Child Protective Services called Pocatello police with concerns over a newborn at Portneuf Medical Center. The baby had a fever and a bloody nose with no other apparent signs of injury, according to court documents.
RELATED | Father of baby with broken leg arrested after what police say could have been an accident
The parents brought the baby back the next day because he appeared to be suffering from pain in his left leg. Doctors said the infant seemed to have a bruise on his head and a bruised area on his tongue, according to court documents. Doctors told investigators an X-ray showed a broken left tibia. The other lower leg bone, the fibula, was bent but not broken, according to court documents.
The investigation revealed Elquezabal watched the child while the boys mother went shopping. When the mother returned, the baby seemed to be in pain. An officer’s report states Elquezabal told detectives he picked up the infant by the leg but did not intend to cause any injury.
After investigators spoke with the parents, blood work for the infant came back and showed some “extremely elevated levels” that pointed toward possible trauma to the liver.
“Brock appeared to be remorseful, and I did not believe his actions that harmed (the infant) were necessarily intentional,” an officer wrote in his report.
When interviewed by detectives, Elquezabal denied ever being upset with the infant and only picked up the child by the left leg.
Sentencing for Elquezabal is scheduled for July 29 at the Bannock County Courthouse.