Miami-Dade man faces child neglect charge after bruises found on infant’s face, body

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami-Dade County man was arrested Monday on a child neglect charge, according to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Robert Garrido-Lecca Jr., 24, of Florida City, was taking care of a woman’s 11-month-old son while she went to work on Monday, authorities said.

Police said at some point over the nine hours that he was scheduled to watch the child, Garrido-Lecca took the boy to a park and returned to the boy’s home in the 3900 block of Southwest 154th Court, in the county’s Kendall area.

At approximately 1 p.m., police said the baby’s mother and Garrido-Lecca took the child to HCA Kendall Hospital, where medical staff discovered several bruises all over his face and body.

Authorities said the hospital’s medical staff found several bruises on his face and numerous bruises on his body that were mostly located on his abdomen area.

Medical staff told police that the boy’s injuries were not consistent with a fall, according to the report.

After reading Garrido-Lecca his Miranda rights, he told detectives that he took the boy to the park and felt the boy was “of age to be walking,” the report stated.

Garrido-Lecca told investigators that the boy tripped over a step which caused him to fall to the ground.

Garrido-Lecca said as held the boy up by his left arm, the boy “hit the step on the left side of his body very hard causing the injuries,” according to the report.

Detectives said Garrido-Lecca failed to provide the child with care and the necessary medical services for his well-being.

As of Wednesday, he is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was set at $7,500.

Garrido-Lecca is facing one count of child neglect with great bodily harm, according to jail records.