HUDSON — A brain bleed. A liver injury. Cuts, bruises, abrasions.
4 Months Ago
6 Months Ago
5 Months Ago
Those are some of the life-threatening injuries deputies accused Eric Latrone Sanders of violently inflicting upon a 3-year-old girl over a period of several months. Sanders, 25, of Hudson, who had custodial authority over the girl, was taken into custody Friday by Pasco County sheriff’s deputies.
What did the girl do to deserve Sanders’ wrath? Urinate on herself, deputies said.
The abuse began, the girl’s mother told deputies, about Nov. 1. After the girl urinated on herself, Sanders would kick her in the thighs and stomach, punch her and whip her with a belt, the mother said. Sanders refused to buy diapers for the girl because they were too expensive, deputies wrote in his arrest report, and because he "thought the victim should learn not to pee on herself."
The names of the girl and her mother, as well as the relationship between the girl and Sanders, were not released by deputies to ensure privacy for the girl.
Law enforcement became aware of the abuse on Jan. 17, when the girl ended up in the hospital.
She again urinated on herself, deputies said, and her mother placed her in the corner for a timeout.
"The defendant did not think that was good enough so he kicked the victim in the back causing her to hit the wall face first," deputies wrote.
Next, Sanders grabbed the girl by her throat, picked her up over his head and slammed her to the ground, forcing her head to hit the floor, according to deputies. That blow knocked her unconscious, caused her to seize and resulted in the brain bleed.
Days prior, the mother told deputies, Sanders had punched the girl in the abdomen several times, also because she urinated on herself.
The girl was taken in critical condition to Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson, where doctors discovered the brain bleed and elevated levels of liver enzymes in her system, indicating she had suffered blunt force trauma to her torso. She was also malnourished and dehydrated. A deputy noted that her bones were visible under her skin.
Due to the extent of her injuries, the girl was later flown to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. A doctor there said she was in danger of dying.
Sanders faces two counts of aggravated child abuse and one count each of child abuse and child neglect with serious injury. He was being held Monday in the Land O’Lakes Detention Center in lieu of $115,000 bail.
Contact Josh Solomon at (813) 909-4613 or jsolomon@tampabay.com. Follow @josh_solomon15.
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