Crime & Safety

Women Arraigned for Baby Hoax

A Long Beach mother and daughter face prison time for fabricating

A mother and daughter charged with allegedly fabricating a story about locating a baby abandoned at a gas station in downtown Long Beach early last week were arraigned Tuesday morning in Long Beach Superior Court.

Paloma Espinoza, 28, is charged with one misdemeanor count each of child endangerment and child abandonment for allegedly abandoning her child and concocting a story that she found the baby in a plastic bag outside the gas station, according to the Long Beach City Prosecutor's Office.

Espinoza's mother, Sonia Ines Hernandez, 52, is charged with one misdemeanor count each of filing a false police report and obstructing police officers in their investigation.

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Espinoza was held in custody at Tuesday's arraignment, however, Hernandez was not. 

Each face up to two years in county jail if convicted.

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"What these women did is outrageous,'' said Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert. "The fact that they lied to police about the identity of the baby and the facts surrounding its birth is shocking enough, but even worse is the fact that these lies jeopardized the health of a newborn child.''

The 7.1 lb, 19-inch infant girl is in stable condition at a local hospital, according to the City Prosecutor's Office.

No charges would have been filed if the newborn had been turned over to a hospital or fire station within 72 hours of birth under California's "Safe Surrender'' law, authorities said.

Espinoza gave birth to the baby girl on Monday of last week at her home and brought the child to her mother, who told police that she found the newborn that night at a USA Gas station at Seventh Street and Alamitos Avenue, according to Long Beach police Sgt. Rico Fernandez.

The police sergeant said Espinoza initially told her mother she found the baby, but that her mother later learned the truth. Police believe Hernandez knowingly told police that she herself had found the child at the gas station.

The younger woman apparently "wanted to protect a relationship she was in,'' Fernandez said. He declined to elaborate.

Police were trying to sort out what happened when "at 10:45 p.m. Monday, police found (the) 28-year-old Long Beach resident who was the mother driving around the area of the gas station,'' Long Beach police spokeswoman Lisa Massacani said.

Espinoza and her mother are being represented by separate attorneys and have a pretrial hearing set for March 12.

 

--with reports from CNS


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