ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – A 24-year-old Maplewood man is accused of assaulting a 4-month-old baby that wouldn’t stop crying and is also accused of sexually abusing the baby, according to charges filed Tuesday by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.
Errick Noe Rios has been charged with one felony count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two felony counts of third-degree assault and one felony count of domestic assault by strangulation in connection with the incident.
According to a criminal complaint, Maplewood Police were called to a home on July 25 on the 1500 block of County Road B to check on the welfare of an infant. When authorities arrived, Rios let police in. They found the baby covered in layers of blankets and clothing inside a hot and muggy bedroom. The baby had bruises on its face, a bite mark, scabs on its chest and back and finger marks and bruises on its belly.
Rios told police he was holding the baby when he tripped on a blanket, causing the bruising. He also said he accidentally head-butted the baby. He later said he hit the baby because he would not stop crying. He admitted to punching the infant in the mouth and picking him up by the torso hard enough to leave marks, the complaint states. Rios told police that he and his wife have brought the baby to the hospital in the past because of his assaultive behavior and that it needed to stop.
The next day, Rios spoke with police and the Ramsey County Child Protection Agency. He told them he was frustrated with the baby on the night of the boy’s birth. He said he hit the boy on four or five occasions out of anger and squeezed the baby’s stomach. He also admitted to biting the baby’s face and said he would put the baby’s mouth over a faucet and turn it on, the complaint states.
Rios also told authorities he would take the boy to public places to prevent him from assaulting the baby, and the fear that his wife would leave him kept him from seeking help.
On Aug. 4, Rios admitted to authorities that he had also engaged in criminal sexual conduct with the boy, according to the complaint. An examination showed the baby had three cracked ribs in addition to the bruising and scratching.
If convicted on all charges, Rios faces more than 40 years in prison and $65,000 in fines.
