Mom, boyfriend arrested for child abuse

A child remains hospitalized with severe head injuries and now the mother and her boyfriend are being charged with felony child abuse.

On January 13th, deputies and investigators were dispatched to a local hospital to check in on a suspected case of child abuse involving a 4 year-old boy.

After an investigation, the boy's mother, Ashleigh Wallace, 28, of Grand Junction, and her boyfriend, 30 year-old Jessie Martinez were arrested Thursday.

Martinez is charged with two counts of felony child abuse, a class three felony, and one count of misdemeanor child abuse.

Wallace is being charged with one count of felony child abuse and one count of false reporting to authorities, a class three misdemeanor.

An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by KJCT explains that Sheriff's deputies were brought to St. Mary's Hospital emergency room on the afternoon of January 13th.  The affidavit says the child was brought into the ER by his mother with a severe head injury.

Wallace allegedly told an ER doctor that she and Martinez had taken the boy sledding two days earlier, and the child had "crashed and tumbled".

According to the affidavit, Wallace said the child had been sleepy since then and was found non-responsive on the afternoon of the 13th.

Doctors told sheriff's deputies that the boy had a serious brain injury, broken right arm, and bruising in different stages of healing on his back, torso, and genitals.  The doctor told investigators that the injuries did not match the information given by the mother and felt the trauma could be non-accidental.

Click here to read the full arrest warrant affidavit