Sheboygan man accused of abusing five-month-old boy
Benito Zuniga
SHEBOYGAN CO. (WITI) -- A 21-year-old Sheboygan man is accused of abusing a five-month-old boy at his apartment on S. 12th St. in Sheboygan. Benito Zuniga is charged with a felony count of physical abuse of a child, recklessly causing great bodily harm.
According to the criminal complaint, Zuniga called 911 around 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, October 31st because his five-month-old son was "vomiting and possibly choking."
The complaint indicates the child had been in a swing with a bottle -- and began vomiting. Zuniga initially told investigators he took the child out of the swing and to the shower to clean him up. The complaint says after the child was cleaned up and placed on a bed, he began to vomit again.
Emergency crews took the five-month-old child to Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center. Doctors there performed a CT scan on the infant and the complaint indicates the child "suffered a bilateral brain bleed." He was then transported to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa for treatment.
The complaint says on Friday, November 1st, Zuniga wanted to speak with a Sheboygan detective about what happened with the child. Zuniga indicated "he had taken (the child) out of the swing in his residence and was going to put him in the car seat when he tripped over his daughter and dropped (the child) on the carpeted floor." The complaint goes on to say the child "made a noise and landed on the top, center of his head."
The complaint indicates when doctors at Children's Hospital further examined the child, they found "facial bruising and retinal hemorrhages." They indicated the injuries the child suffered were not consistent with the explanation given by Zuniga. The doctor says there is "clinical suspicion for a prior event occurring around 10/26/13." He backed that up saying the "subdural fluid taken from (the child's) body at the time of his admission was like 'motor oil.'" The child's long-term outcome is unknown at this time.
If convicted, Zunigo faces up to 15 years in prison and $50,000 in fines. He's due in court for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, November 20th.
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