Inset: Cameron Coronado (Sauk County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Portage County Police Department (Google Maps).
A 32-year-old Wisconsin police officer faces criminal charges after allegedly beating his 6-month-old son and causing a brain bleed because the infant would not stop crying. Authorities arrested Cameron Coronado, a Portage Police Department officer, this week and charged him with child abuse with the intent to cause bodily harm and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier, court records show.
A criminal complaint filed Monday in Sauk County says the incident happened early Saturday morning, Aug. 16, inside the family’s home, according to Madison, Wisconsin, ABC affiliate KWOW.
Coronado’s wife, whose name is not included in the report, reportedly told a detective with the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office that she woke up at about 3 a.m. that morning to feed their 6-month-old son. Coronado also awoke and brought the baby into the kitchen.
The wife said the baby was crying when she allegedly heard Coronado say, “Oh my god shut the f— up,” Madison CBS affiliate WISC reported. Immediately afterward, she told the detective that the baby’s crying had changed by the time she got to the kitchen and claimed she saw Coronado wiping blood away from their baby’s mouth.
When she confronted Coronado about what had happened, he allegedly admitted that he had “shoved” the pacifier into the child’s mouth, which caused the bleeding. The wife reportedly said she could see a cut on the back of their son’s throat. The child then fell asleep briefly, but awoke a short while later and began crying and appeared to have trouble swallowing.
The wife said that when she told Coronado they had to take their son to the hospital, he began to “spiral,” Madison NBC affiliate WMTV reported. He then reportedly said he “knew what was going to happen” if they sought medical treatment.
The complaint further stated that Coronado’s wife told the detective that he had a “low frustration tolerance,” particularly with the children. She recounted instances where he had punched holes in the walls out of frustration. On July 9, she said, when the children were fussy before bed, he threatened to “kill these f—ing kids” if the infant did not stop crying.
At the hospital, doctors reportedly found other external injuries from blunt force trauma inflicted on the baby, as well as bleeding in the infant’s brain.
Portage Police Department Chief Keith Klafke confirmed to WMTV that following his arrest, Coronado was placed on paid administrative leave.
“His actions are not a reflection of the great men and women of the Portage Police Department,” Klafke told the station.
Court records indicate that a special prosecutor was appointed to oversee the case against Coronado. Coronado appeared in court on Wednesday and his bond was set at $10,000 cash. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3.
