Inset: Cameron Coronado (Sauk County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Portage County Police Department (Google Maps).
A police officer in Wisconsin, aged 32, is now facing criminal allegations for allegedly assaulting his 6-month-old son, resulting in a brain bleed. The incident reportedly occurred because the baby would not cease crying. Cameron Coronado, associated with the Portage Police Department, was apprehended this week. He faces charges of child abuse intended to inflict bodily harm, in addition to disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier, as revealed by court documents.
A criminal complaint, lodged this past Monday in Sauk County, details that the event took place early on Saturday morning, August 16, within the family’s residence, as reported by ABC affiliate KWOW in Madison, Wisconsin.
According to reports, Coronado’s wife, whose identity has been withheld, informed a detective from the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office that she awoke at around 3 a.m. to nurse their son. Coronado had also awoken and brought the infant into the kitchen.
The mother recounted that the baby was sobbing when she allegedly overheard Coronado exclaim, “Oh my god shut the f— up,” as reported by CBS affiliate WISC in Madison. Upon entering the kitchen, she noticed the infant’s cries had altered and claimed to see Coronado removing blood from their baby’s mouth.
After questioning Coronado about the situation, he purportedly confessed to aggressively inserting the pacifier into the baby’s mouth, causing the bleeding. The mother mentioned noticing a cut at the back of their son’s throat. The child briefly dozed off afterward, only to awaken shortly with difficulty in swallowing and crying again.
When the mother insisted they needed to take the baby to the hospital, Coronado reportedly began to “spiral,” as covered by NBC affiliate WMTV in Madison. He allegedly expressed understanding of the potential repercussions if they sought medical attention.
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.
