A 20-year-old mother was sentenced Monday, July 6 to 15 years in prison after admitting to causing serious burns to her 1-year-old son two years ago.
Encarncion Castro appeared Monday in the 140th District Court with her attorney, Cynthia Mendoza, and pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony count of injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury, which carries a punishment of five years to life in prison.
Castro, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since her July 30, 2024 arrest, initially faced a three-count indictment. However, as part of a plea deal with the Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office, the remaining counts were dismissed.
Her charge stems from a Lubbock police investigation that began On May 30, 2024 after staff at University Medical Center called police after a child was brought to the emergency room for treatment for burns they suspected came from child abuse.
Hospital personnel told responding officers that the boy, who was injured five days before, had a burn to his right arm from his wrist to his elbow, which was wrapped in toilet paper, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Castro told officers that the boy fell in the bathtub. She also told Child Protective Services workers that the boy was burned after his arm was under running water for about a minute, the affidavit states.
Meanwhile, a child abuse specialist who reviewed the injuries and statements concluded that there were concerns of physical abuse, the affidavit states.
The case was presented to a Lubbock County grand jury, who returned an indictment on July 16, 2024, according to court records.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock woman sentenced to 15 years in son’s burn injury
Reporting by Gabriel Monte, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gabriel Monte, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
