Pocatello woman charged after allegedly abusing 17-month-old

POCATELLO — A female constabulary opportunity abused a toddler, leaving him limp and successful request of emergency care, faces a felony charge.

Saqoya Aren Wight, 22, has been charged pinch 1 count of aggravated battery, tribunal records show.

Sept. 23, 2023

Pocatello constabulary officers were dispatched to Portneuf Medical Center aft receiving a telephone reporting kid abuse, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The caller told constabulary that a 17-month-old boy suffered “serious caput trauma” and that it did not look to person been caused by an accident.

Due to nan injuries, nan kid was to beryllium life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital successful Salt Lake City, nan affidavit says.

Upon presence astatine Portneuf Medical Center, officers said pinch a triage caregiver who was responsible for nan victim’s intake astatine nan infirmary connected Sept. 22. The caregiver told officers nan unfortunate was brought successful connected Sept. 22 to beryllium treated for vomiting and lethargy.

The caregiver said nan unfortunate did not person visible bruises upon presence astatine nan infirmary but that nan pursuing time location was bruising connected nan near broadside of nan child’s look and head. Furthermore, nan child, nan caregiver said, could not assistance his correct limb aliases leg.

Officers said pinch nan victim’s father.

The begetter told officers nan kid was successful Wight’s care. He said Wight called him and told him that Wight took a TV distant from nan kid and that he responded by throwing himself connected nan crushed and, successful doing so, had deed his caput connected nan ground.

He recalled Wight telling him nan kid was “like a paralyzed baby,” nan affidavit says.

The begetter said he took his kid to nan emergency room for a tummy unwellness he had been suffering earlier nan caput injury. The kid was treated and released.

Then, nan pursuing morning, he noticed nan kid was struggling to stand. That was besides erstwhile he noticed bruising and swelling connected nan child’s face, truthful he took nan kid backmost to nan emergency room.

Officers speak pinch Wight

While astatine nan hospital, officers besides said pinch Wight. She said she was pinch nan kid each greeting and that he was complaining astir a tummy bug.

She said that she caught nan kid utilizing a TV distant he was not expected to beryllium using, truthful she took nan distant from him. The child, Wight said, responded pinch a “tantrum” and threw himself connected nan ground.

Wight said nan kid went “completely limp,” truthful she called nan boy’s father.

Officers again said pinch nan triage caregiver responsible for nan child’s intake. The caregiver said erstwhile nan kid was brought nan time before, nary 1 reported that nan kid had deed his caput and gone limp.

Officers past said pinch an on-site CPS caseworker. According to nan affidavit, officers were concerned astir nan truth that nan kid going limp aft a autumn had not been included successful aesculapian reports aliases monitored by aesculapian staff.

Sept. 24, 2023

Officers said pinch different of nan child’s family members, who said they were alert of different injuries he had sustained during reported falls while nether nan attraction of Wight. The family personnel expressed suspicions that Wight was abusing nan child.

Sept. 25, 2023

Officers said pinch a expert astatine Primary Children’s Hospital. The expert made her aesculapian records disposable to nan officers and said nan kid was being treated for retinal hemorrhages, subdural hematomas connected some sides of nan skull and bruising connected some cheeks.

According to nan affidavit, nan expert described nan boy’s begetter arsenic “appropriately protective” while sitting bedside passim nan child’s treatment.

The doctor’s “expert aesculapian opinion” was that nan child’s injuries were nan consequence of “abusive caput trauma and not from a ground-level autumn arsenic reported,” nan affidavit says. She besides ruled retired a shaking injury.

As officers continued their investigation, they searched nan location wherever nan injuries occurred. According to nan affidavit, nan location was soiled and had a firearm that would person been easy accessible to nan child.

They asked Wight for a descriptive outline of nan incident. She told officers she would not person wounded nan child, being nan unfortunate of maltreatment arsenic a kid herself.

Over nan people of an investigation that spanned respective months, officers said pinch respective friends and family members of nan victim’s begetter arsenic good arsenic friends and family members of Wight. Some of nan witnesses interviewed provided specifications that contradicted what Wight told officers.

Details outlining what led to Wight’s charges were not included successful nan affidavit, but charges were revenge connected April 8. Wight was not arrested, alternatively she was served a tribunal summons and appeared via video for an arraignment proceeding connected April 22.

Charges were bound complete to District Court pursuing a May 13 preliminary hearing.

Though Wight has been charged pinch this crime, it does not needfully mean she committed it. Everyone is presumed guiltless until they are proven guilty.

If she is recovered guilty, Wight would look up to 15 years successful prison.