BRENTWOOD, NY — A Brentwood man was arrested Thursday night after allegedly slapping a disabled child while serving as the child’s caregiver, Suffolk County police said.
According to the Suffolk County Police Department, Bruno Valenzuela, 31, was caring for a 5-year-old child with cerebral palsy at the child’s Port Jefferson home on Dec. 20 when the child began coughing and crying. Police said Valenzuela then aggressively slapped the child in the back and chest.
The child sustained bruising to the chest and was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital two days later, on Dec. 22, police said. A report was filed, and an investigation was launched by detectives from the Special Victims Unit.
Valenzuela, who was employed at the time by Christian Nursing Registry in Smithtown, was arrested at his home on DeKalb Avenue in Brentwood at approximately 9:06 p.m. Thursday, police said. Authorities noted he is no longer employed by the nursing registry.
Police charged Valenzuela with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, a class E felony, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Valenzuela was held overnight at the Third Precinct and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday at First District Court in Central Islip, police said.
Source: https://patch.com/new-york/brentwood-central-islip/li-man-arrested-slapping-disabled-5-year-old-while-his-care-police
