Honk News (Sacramento, CA) – A 22-year-old mother in California was taken into custody over the weekend for reportedly assaulting her 11-month-old baby, with injuries so grave that a bystander noted the visible imprint of a fist on the child’s battered face.
Aleesha Ann Allen was arrested on Sunday and faces a charge of felony child abuse, which could result in severe bodily harm or death, according to officials.
On Sunday, March 2, at approximately 11:16 a.m., deputies from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for a welfare check concerning an infant at a home located in the 1200 block of Hardenbrook Avenue. The residence is located approximately 175 miles to the north of Sacramento.
When they reached the location, first responders reported that they engaged with Allen and confirmed her identity as the mother of the infant. As deputies arrived at the home, Allen was in the midst of placing the child into a vehicle.
“Deputies observed the juvenile and noticed facial injuries that appeared to be deliberately inflicted and consistent with child abuse,” the release states. “Deputies interviewed Allen and other witnesses at the scene. Allen was subsequently arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail.”
Officials reported that the individual was taken to a nearby hospital for care and assessment of their injuries.
The sheriff’s office reached out to the Shasta County Children and Family Services, which assumed custody of the child and subsequently placed him with other family members.
A report from the station reveals that a friend of Allen’s was the first to call 911 for a welfare check right after getting a FaceTime call from him. A friend has claimed that Allen was in tears during the conversation and revealed her baby’s face, which appeared to have visible bruising.
Isaiah Polk, the friend, revealed to KRCR that he took it upon himself to contact the authorities since Allen was unwilling to do so.
It made me almost want to shed a tear,” Polk told the station. “It was like — the way his face looked, he didn’t fall off of a bed.”
Polk raised his fist to his face, just beneath his right eye, and remarked, “Like, there was a fist imprint.”
Current online records indicate that Allen is being detained at the Shasta County Jail with no option for bond.