Monday, 10 December 2007
By AMANDA CHRISTMAN
Staff Writer
A Hazleton man was arraigned Sunday night on charges related to the apparent beating death of a 2-year-old boy.

Hazleton police arrested 20-year-old Alexander Garcia, charging him with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children.
He was arraigned by District Judge Joseph Zola and committed to Luzerne County Correctional Facility on $2 million cash bail.
Garcia, small in stature, held his head in his hands during the court appearance.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Hazleton Cpl. Gerald Tray and Patrolman Shawn Conti were dispatched to Hazleton General Hospital on Sunday at 12:29 a.m. for a death investigation.
Hospital staff took them to the emergency room, where 2-year-old Emanuel Gonzalez was lying motionless on a hospital bed. The boy was bruised on his head, face, chest, stomach, back, legs, genitals and buttocks, the affidavit states.
Gonzalez was pronounced dead on arrival.
Ambulance personnel told police they were dispatched to 819 W. Diamond Ave., apartment 2, for a report of a fall victim and found Gonzalez covered in vomit and unresponsive.
Lillian Torres, the boy’s mother, told police she, Gonzalez and Garcia moved to Hazleton two months ago. Since moving to town, Torres said Garcia, her boyfriend, became angry and started spanking her son, the affidavit says.
Garcia, Torres said, had been hitting the child for days, according to police.
On Thursday, Torres said Garcia spanked Gonzalez for urinating on the floor and later that day heard banging coming from the bathroom, where Garcia was bathing the child, the affidavit states.
When Gonzalez came out of the bathroom he had a mark on his face. Garcia told her the boy fell and hit his face on the tub, police said.
On Friday, Gonzalez defecated on a blanket and Torres tried to hide it from Garcia. When Garcia noticed the mess he spanked Gonzalez twice and bathed the boy instead of Torres, according to the affidavit.
Again the child came out of the bathroom with a bruise on his face and again Garcia told Torres he fell, the affidavit says.
Then on Saturday, Torres said she was making breakfast and heard yelling. She said she saw Garcia holding Gonzalez up by his arm, spanking him, police reported. Torres told police she attempted to stop the spanking and told Garcia she was leaving with Gonzalez. At that point, Garcia allegedly pushed Gonzalez into the wall and the child fell to the ground.
That night at about 9, Gonzalez began vomiting and having difficulty breathing, and Torres called 911 for an ambulance, the affidavit says.
Torres told police Garcia apologized and said he didn’t mean to hurt the boy. Garcia, Torres said, began crying, begging for her forgiveness and said he would get help, police said.
Garcia allegedly admitted to hitting Gonzalez on the face Wednesday, spanking the child Friday and said he dropped the boy in the bathtub Thursday. Garcia told police he noticed the boy appeared sick earlier on Saturday but was afraid to take him to the hospital, they said.
An autopsy will be performed today in Wilkes-Barre to determine the cause of death. Police said Garcia could face other charges including criminal homicide pending the outcome, but did not indicate whether Torres would face charges.
During his arraignment, Garcia wore a hospital gown over jeans and had cuts on his face. Police said Garcia tried to kill himself in the police department’s holding cell.
Hazleton Detective Christopher Orozco had to translate during the proceeding.
Garcia said he was born in the Dominican Republic and was in the United States legally.Zola asked him to produce his green card but Garcia could not, saying they were with his attorney in Rochester, N.Y.
When asked why they were with an attorney, Garcia said police in New York took them after they raided his house under suspicion that he had cocaine. Garcia said he was found not guilty of that charge four or five months ago.
When asked for his previous addresses, Garcia said he did not remember them but that he lived in Rochester and in the Bronx before moving to Hazleton two months ago.
Garcia said he worked at a plant in Humboldt Industrial Park for about two days and has a 3-year-old daughter in Rochester, N.Y., but did not know her mother’s address or phone number.
After the arraignment Garcia was escorted to a police car and reporters asked Garcia why he hit the child. Garcia said he didn’t but was taking the rap for the boy’s mother.
Garcia’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. in Luzerne County Central Court.


achristman@standardspeaker.com

[emphasis added -- corhanem]

Linky: http://standardspeaker.com/index.php...=6397&Itemid=2

If he was in the country legally, why then, did one of Hazleton's finest have to translate?