BOUNTIFUL, Utah, Nov. 17, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Bountiful man is being held without bail after police say his 7-month-old daughter was found with multiple broken bones after being left alone in his care.
Charged with child abuse/neglect, a second-degree felony, is Maximiliano H. Dotta, 27.
A probable cause statement filed in the case says the child’s mother was visiting a relative in Utah County when she took the baby girl to an emergency room at American Fork Hospital. The mother told the medical staff the girl had been alone in her father’s care the night before, and that morning the mother noticed injuries including swelling to her baby’s left arm and right leg, which the child was not moving.
The injuries officials found are noted in the police statement:
“American Fork hospital personnel noted the following injuries on baby girl: bruising on the right cheek and right jaw, cuts on the right earlobe with multiple small scabs of different stages of healing, a significantly dislocated right elbow, a broken left upper arm and multiple fractures of the right lower leg that all suggest non-accidental trauma.”
Dotta was located at his residence, transported to the Bountiful Police Department for an interview, and read his Miranda Rights.
“Post Miranda, Dotta said that about midnight on Nov. 12th, he had fed and changed the diaper of his daughter. During the process, he admitted to picking her up by both arms from the crib hard enough that it could have broken her arms. Dotta said that he tried to change her dirty diaper, but she was squirming more than usual. Dotta said he was tired
and frustrated so he twisted her ankle to get her to stop moving. This is consistent with her broken ankle.
“After changing her diaper Dotta said he was trying to get her to stop crying so he pinched her ear. Dotta said his finger nail cut her ear at that time. Dotta admitted to also pinching her other ear. Dotta admitted to biting her cheek. When placing (the baby) back in the crib Dotta said he put her back too hard and hit her leg against the crib.”
Dotta is being held without bail due to safety concerns for his family, a court statement says.
