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Attorney asks for more time in case involving man accused of child abuse

By Staff | Nov 19, 2008

The attorney of a Cape Coral man accused of abusing his fiancee’s 14-month-old child needs more time to dipose witnesses, wade through discovery information and hire an expert to examine the child’s medical records, she said in court Wednesday.

“There is a lot of work to do in this case,” said Barbara Trescott, defense attorney for Christian A. Jimenez-Colon.

Colon, 20, of 2137 Coral Point Drive, was charged with aggravated child abuse in March. He reportedly held Christian Merly, son of Jovan Santana, against a toilet and hit his back forceably, then pinched his windpipe to “‘help’ the child vomit.” Colon later placed the child against the railing of his crib and leaned his full body weight on him, police said.

Christian had been sick, and Colon’s concerns about his financial situation may have contributed to his “rough” behavior with the child, Colon reportedly told police.

Doctors who administered care to Christian after the alleged abuse found bruising on his body, according to police reports.

Trescott told Lee Circuit Judge Mark Steinbeck she needed time to have an expert examine Christian’s medical records.

“There’s a real question as to when these injuries occurred,” she said.

Trescott said she needed time to speak with Santana, who had recently given birth to Colon’s child, and to read through about 700 pages of discovery information.

Colon remains in the Lee County Jail on a reduced $75,000 bond, according to jail and court records. He will appear before Steinbeck for another pretrial conference Jan. 29.