Lee County Sherriff's Office says the man accused of killing an infant in Lehigh Acres is no stranger to the law. Rolando Olivarez is charged with one count of second-degree murder. He was arrested Sunday for allegedly killing a one-year-old last September. The medical examiner ruled an injury to the child's head as the cause of death. According to law enforcement records, Olivarez has been in and out of jail for the last ten years.
Since 2010 Olivarez has been arrested for battery, burglary, and several probation violations. Records at the Lee County Clerk of Court show that the battery charge was connected to a domestic violence call, for which Olivarez was placed on probation. While Olivarez previous arrests are not linked to the death of the 1-year-old child, Meg Dalabes with Abuse Counseling and Treatment Inc. says his past arrests a show a pattern of violence.
Former police chief Walt Zalisko agrees. He says prosecutors could use the previous arrests to build arguments in court, but details matter. “They have to look at the facts of those previous cases,” he said. “What kind of battery was it? Did he beat a child? Did he beat his wife? Did he beat someone in a bar fight?”
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said investigators have ruled out any mishaps in the infant’s death. “The injuries that the infant sustained were suspicious, and non-accidental,” he said.
Suspect accused of killing infant has a troubling past
A former police chief says Rolando Olivarez's past might be used against him in court when he stands trial in the death of a 1-year-old child. Olivarez is accused of killing the toddler back in September.
