Background: The Plainfield, Ill. neighborhood where police responded to a report of an “unconscious” 2-year-old (Google Maps). Inset: Jordan Padilla (Will County Sheriff’s Office).
An Illinois man is behind bars after police said he fractured a toddler’s skull after the little girl threw his cellphone.
In a statement posted to their Facebook page, the Will County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Jordan Padilla, 21, after first responders were called to a home in Plainfield on March 15. The call concerned a 2-year-old girl who was “unconscious but breathing” while in the home with her mother and Padilla, her mother’s boyfriend. The paramedics who examined the girl noted that the girl had “suspicious injuries” to her face and abdomen and immediately transported her to the hospital for treatment. According to police, her condition was far worse than it appeared.
After the little girl was treated at the hospital, she was deemed to be in critical condition and transferred to another hospital in Chicago. Doctors told police that she was suffering from a “blown left pupil,” a “left-sided gaze preference,” and bruising by her left eye. They also suspected she had internal injuries. It was later revealed to police that she had a fractured skull and a brain bleed.
When Padilla and his girlfriend, who was not named in the statement, were questioned by detectives, Padilla allegedly made “incriminating statements.” When he was initially questioned, he made statements that were inconsistent with the injuries the girl presented with, police said. Eventually, he was asked to demonstrate how he allegedly struck the little girl, and detectives concluded that Padilla hit the girl in the face with his elbow.
In statements made to local news outlet Herald-News, Will County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Dan Jungles said that the reason Padilla allegedly attacked the girl was “because he was angry at her for throwing his cellphone at him.” The girl’s mother was reportedly not in the room at the time of the alleged incident, and Padilla did not tell her what happened.
Padilla was arrested and charged with battery, domestic battery, aggravated battery, aggravated domestic battery, and aggravated battery of a child. He is currently being held at Will County Adult Detention Facility until his next court appearance.
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