HOUSTON – A trip to the school office for behavioral issues led school administrators to learn that a 7-year-old was being injured at the hands of his mother, according to Houston police. The mother, Carol Hernandez, is accused of stepping on her son's neck because he would not go to sleep.
Hernandez's son was sent to the office for acting up in class on Feb. 24. When he was being questioned by staff members about why he was misbehaving, the boy broke broke out crying and said he was angry because his mother had stepped on his neck. Administrators then saw the red marks on the child's throat and contacted authorities.
Recommended Videos
The boy told investigators that his mother would often hit him in the head with a remote control and the phone when he gets in trouble, according to court documents. He then explained what allegedly happened to him the night before, causing the visible neck bruises.
The boy said he was in his room playing when he was supposed to be sleeping. He said his mother stood on his throat, "choking him" with her foot and he could not breathe. The boy told police he was afraid of his mother because she hits him too much.
Investigators interviewed the boy's 8-year-old brother who said he, too, gets "whooped" by their mother. The boy said his little brother would stay up after everyone else went to sleep. The boy would not leave them alone, which is when the mother stepped on him, according to court documents. The brother said Hernandez would strike the 7-year-old everywhere, including on the butt and in the chest.
The mother allegedly admitted to causing the injuries to her son, but said it was all an accident.
Hernandez was charged with injury to a child. Her bond was set at $5,000.