Gardena couple pleads innocent to charges of torturing their baby son
Thursday February 06, 2003GARDENA, Calif. (AP) A couple facing torture charges for allegedly assaulting their 2 {-month-old son, who suffered such severe injuries that prosecutors said he must have been handled ``like a football,'' pleaded innocent Thursday.
Ron Bahnsen, 22, and his girlfriend, Desiree Soto, 23, both of Gardena, are being held on bail of $1 million. They are charged with torture and child abuse, with the allegation of causing great bodily injury to their son, Christopher. A bail review hearing is scheduled for Feb. 13.
If convicted, Bahnsen and Soto could face life in prison.
``Basically, you would have to handle a baby like a football for it to look like this,'' said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
The infant remained hospitalized Thursday in critical and unstable condition with brain injuries and broken bones including a broken clavicle, two broken legs and two broken ankles, authorities said.
Doctors are unable to operate on the infant and stem his internal bleeding because of his unstable condition, Robison added.
The severity of the injuries, and the fact that doctors found evidence of prior physical abuse, led prosecutors to charge the couple with torture, said Sgt. Dave Mathieson of the Gardena Police department.
``It's more than just child abuse,'' Mathieson said.
``I wouldn't understand why anybody would do this to their child,'' police Lt. Rodney Tanaka said. ``It's really sickening to think how you can take a child that has no defenses and no mechanism to protect himself and no way to cry out for help, and do this.''
Officials at Gardena Memorial Hospital called police Friday after the couple brought the baby to the hospital. The baby has been transferred to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
The boy's grandfather, Ray Bahnsen, said one of the mother's friends made an allegation against the child's father, accusing him of hurting the child before.
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