North Las Vegas man charged in connection with infant’s injuries
North Las Vegas police last week arrested a 20-year-old man who allegedly shook his month-old daughter, causing a brain bleed that could result in permanent brain damage, according to an arrest report.
Police arrested Jose Nieves on Jan. 15 after North Las Vegas Police Department officers last month were called to Sunrise Children’s Hospital after report of an infant who had a seizure. Doctors determined the girl’s injuries were “of a non-accidental nature,” and she suffered a brain bleed, retinal hemorrhage in both eyes and fractures in each leg, according to Nieves’ arrest report.
Prosecutors believed the girl would end up with a “permanent brain injury,” according to online court records.
Nieves initially told police that he almost dropped the infant, but caught her before she hit the floor and “yanked her up by her leg.” He said after he caught her he “jostled” the girl.
But during a polygraph test on Jan. 15, Nieves told the examiner “that he had lied” to detectives, the report said.
Nieves then said that on Dec. 1, he was caring for the girl and four other children while the baby’s mother was at work. He told police that he “got frustrated as all the children were screaming and acting wild, and (redacted) was also crying.”
He said that after he almost dropped the baby, he grabbed her by the leg and shook her.
“Jose said he became so frustrated with everything that was going on around him,” and he grabbed the baby by the upper leg and knee and “shook her very forcefully about four times,” the report said.
The girl’s mother had previously told police that when she returned from work on Dec. 1, the girl was a “little more sleepy than usual.” Early the next day the baby refused to feed and began shaking for about four to five minutes, the report said.
Nieves has been charged with three counts of child abuse or neglect resulting in substantial bodily harm, court records show.
He was transferred to the Clark County Detention Center on Jan. 17, where he remained Saturday with a $150,000 bail, jail records show. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 4.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
