A couple who pleaded guilty to child abuse last month were sentenced to 10 years of probation.
Nicholas Murrieta, 23, and Dominique Rodriguez, 21, pleaded guilty to child abuse, circumstances not likely to cause death or serious injury in Pima County Superior Court.
Officers saw bruises on the boy’s face and body, and a woman who stopped to help told officers Murrieta prevented her from pulling up the boy’s shirt, Falquez said.
When police searched the South La Villita Road home Murrieta shared with Rodriguez, the boy's mother, detectives discovered it had no electricity and had animal feces throughout, the sergeant said.
The couple was later indicted. At that time, Deputy Pima County Attorney Alan Goodwin said the couple was accused of exposing two children to methamphetamine and “unsafe and unsanitary living conditions,” They were also accused of causing bruising to one of the children’s face, forehead, left eye, back and buttocks.
According to court documents, Murrieta and Rodriguez also had a 9-month-old girl at the time of the incident.
The couple is working to be reunited with the children, who were removed from their home by the Arizona Department of Child Safety, Deputy Pima County Attorney Dawn Aspacher said.
While on probation, the couple must abide by DCS guidelines, complete drug and alcohol treatment, receive mental health treatment and participate in cognitive skills classes, Aspacher said.