A woman from Clifton has admitted guilt to a revised charge of child abuse following an investigation that revealed her child experienced “nonaccidental trauma” due to second-degree burns on the buttocks.
Fate Monique Ochoa, 25, from Clifton, was initially charged with five felonies, which included two counts of child abuse and three counts of aggravated assault. She has now accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to one amended charge of child abuse, leading to the dismissal of the other charges.
An incident was uncovered during a child exchange on December 14, 2023, when the father noticed two serious burns on his daughter’s buttocks. Police reports indicate that Ochoa noted a small blister on the child’s buttock during the incident in San Carlos, after which the father took the child back to Queen Creek.
The father found two large blisters on his daughter that had burst during his examination. A child was taken to the emergency room, where a doctor identified the blisters as second-degree burns measuring around 7” by 9” in size. The scorch marks corresponded with a tortilla burner located near the stove.
The defendant strongly refuted allegations of intentionally burning her 3-year-old child, while investigators and prosecutors contend that she caused the injury by placing the child on the tortilla burner. During the police questioning, Ochoa initially claimed that the burn was due to diaper rash, later suggested it could have been a chemical burn (which was dismissed), proposed that a slide might be responsible, and ultimately stated that it likely occurred at her boyfriend’s mother’s residence.
Ochoa and the child reside with Ochoa’s partner and his three kids. The child’s grandmother babysat recently and reported that the child was doing well during her time with her.
Ochoa refuted any allegations of misconduct during her police interviews, even when confronted with text messages from her phone indicating her awareness of the serious burns and her failure to seek medical help.
On Monday, September 30, Ochoa entered a plea agreement and admitted guilt to child abuse, classified as a class-4 felony. The charge typically results in a presumed prison term of 2.5 years, but the plea agreement includes a required probation period of up to 4 years.
Sentencing will take place on November 4. Although the plea deal ensures probation, Judge Jeremy O. Ford of Greenlee County Superior Court has the option to impose a jail sentence of up to one year on Ochoa.