A South Florida mother, Cythnia Hernandez, appeared in bond court Saturday after her 6-year-old son was allegedly severely beaten by her boyfriend last month.
Hernandez, 32, faced charges including child neglect, failure to report child neglect, and providing a false statement to law enforcement. Her attorney argued that prosecutors charged her primarily to secure her as a witness against her boyfriend, who is accused of directly harming the child.
“In Ms. Hernandez’s case, the accusations are not that she directly harmed the child — it is her partner who allegedly committed the abuse,” said defense attorney Nicolas Torres.
Hernandez’s boyfriend, 34-year-old Daniel Eduardo Romero, was arrested on January 11 and charged with aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect with great bodily harm, and providing false information to law enforcement. Police responded to a North Miami Beach home after a report of a child in cardiac arrest. Body camera footage showed the boy wrapped in a blanket with no detectable pulse.
The judge found probable cause for all charges and set bond at $7,500 for count one, $2,500 for count two, and $500 for count three. Hernandez was ordered to stay away from her son and is prohibited from owning or carrying a firearm.
She is expected to be released soon, with CBS News Miami on site at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.