NORWALK–Further evaluation of a child’s serious injuries at a local hospital resulted in the arrest of a Norwalk man on Thursday.
According to police, a woman from California decided to move herself and her 2-year-old daughter to Connecticut after meeting a man, Pedro Salinas, 31, of Norwalk, online. The two started a relationship, prompting the move.
Then, on May 26 the Norwalk Special Victims Unit began investigating a report of child abuse from the Department of Children and Families.
Police discovered that a 2-year-old girl had been brought to Norwalk Hospital for what was believed initially to be an accident. The girl’s mother told doctors her daughter had fallen on her head while playing outside.
Due to the severity of her injuries, she was transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where further evaluation showed the the injuries were the result of an assault.
The SVU detectives determined the girl had been living with Salinas and believe he was responsible for the injuries.
Salinas was arrested and charged while appearing in court for an unrelated matter.
He’s charged with assault in the first degree, cruelty to persons and risk of injury to a minor. Bond was set at $150,000 and he’ll be in court August 2.
According to online court records, Salinas is a convicted sex offender. He was convicted in 2009 for a 2008 offense, and forced to register on the sex offender list. He also has pending charges, including sexual assault in the second degree for a crime that occurred in 2003.
