ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – A 24-year-old Maplewood man pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree criminal sexual assault of a 4-month-old baby.
Errick Noe Rios was 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. He pleaded guilty to only the first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge.
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 stomach.
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 aggressive 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, according to the complaint.
Rios also told authorities he would take the boy to public places to prevent him from assaulting the baby. He said the fear he had that his wife would leave him, kept him from seeking help, according to police.
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.
Rios will be sentenced on Oct. 2.
