MARINA, Calif- We have new information on what was believed to be a hot tub drowning, that turned into a full blown child abuse investigation. A 5-year-old boy found crying and screaming at a beach front hotel in Marina. He's at a San Jose trauma center, with serious injuries.
Now 25-year-old Julian Christopher Diggs sits in jail for child endangerment. He's the boyfriend of the boy's mother. Police said the little boy was beaten in the head and left crying in the hotel hot tub. This brought up two questions, do the laws protecting children need to be stronger or the penalties, tougher?
"There are stressors in our world. There are environmental job stressors, there are family stressors, that for some individuals can drive someone to the breaking point," said Monterey County Department of Social and Employment Services public information officer Sam Trevino.
The Monterey County Department of Social Services said after a crime like Tuesday's child abuse case, they step in to help protect the child and the family to keep the situation from repeating itself. The department said the resources to keep abuse from happening are there, but there could always be more.
"Abuse has everlasting affects from that trauma. The focus that community is our response to individuals who have experienced crime," Trevino.
We tried to speak with Diggs' aunt at the home where the family lives in Moss Landing, and she didn't want to talk on camera. But she tells us her nephew is a good guy who works odd jobs. She said Diggs and his girlfriend have been together less than a year.
Police said they're still trying to piece together what happened during the incident at the Quality Inn. But this little boy's story is not unique. That's because according to Childhelp-an advocacy group working to prevent and treat child abuse-a child is abused every ten seconds and five children die every day as a result of child abuse. Police said the boy's mom was up in the hotel when the incident happened. They said they see a lot of those cases and no two are the same. But they think the laws they have to work with during an investigation are effective.
"Each situation is different. But I think California compared to other states in the nation is by far, they far surpass what most states have on their books," said Marina Police Department Commander Bob Nolan.
Police are planning to interview the young boy in a safe environment to see if he can provide more information.
