A Hernandez man is facing a charge of attempted child abuse after he allegedly “roughed up” his ex-wife’s 8-year-old grandson.
Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Deputy Hansel Felix arrested Victor Morales, 48, on a charge of attempted child abuse on Nov. 20.
Felix wrote in a criminal complaint that he was sent to a house on Calle De Pajarito in Española, where the grandmother said she ordered pizza for her grandchildren, including the 8-year-old grandson. The 8-year-old wanted ranch salad dressing, but they didn’t have any, so he started to “act out.”
“Morales then grabbed (the child) by his arms and pulled on him roughly, dragging him off the couch,” Felix wrote.
Felix saw red marks on the child’s neck and the collar of his shirt was distressed, he wrote.
“(The child) stated Morales had taken him to the bedroom and had grabbed him by the neck and pressed his head down,” Felix wrote. “(The child) showed me with his hands how Morales had grabbed him. (The child) grabbed his neck as in a manner that demonstrated as if he was being strangled.”
The child started crying as he talked about what happened and added that Morales became irate and slashed his basketball with a knife before deputies arrived. They then went to his house in Hernandez, as a truck was pulling into the driveway. Another deputy stopped Morales and they arrested him. He told them he knew why they were there, Felix wrote.
A preliminary examination is set for later this week.
Morales has no past felony criminal cases in New Mexico, according to a search of court records.