BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man charged with injury to a child reckless serious bodily injury was sentenced to eight years deferred adjudication on Wednesday.
Justin Garcia and his girlfriend, Brandy Laurel, were both arrested in May 2023 after Laurel’s three-year-old son was taken to the hospital with serious injuries on two separate occasions in two different counties.
At the time of their arrests, Sheriff Javier Salazar said the child had a hemorrhage, scalp swelling and bruising of the right temple, part of which resembled a footprint on the side of the child’s face.
Salazar said medical staff later found that swelling and bruising of the child’s brain were related to a skull fracture.
According to the arrest affidavit, they showed up at a hospital in Dimmitt County also in May of that year seeking help for the boy who had suffered two broken legs.
The affidavit says doctors determined the type of injuries he had — two separate fractures to each leg — were common among wrestlers.
In court Wednesday, Garcia was sentenced per the plea deal and was granted eight years deferred adjudication, a form of probation that comes with other requirements he must follow.
If Garcia doesn’t follow the requirements at any point, he could be sent to prison and serve the rest of his sentence.
As for Laurel, she was granted 10 years of deferred adjudication per a plea deal in November 2024.
It is not known if the couple was ever charged in Dimmitt County.
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