Woman Arrested On Four Counts Of Abuse

A 19 year-old woman was arrested on four counts of child abuse yesterday.

Violet Hinrichs of Port Richey is accused of squeezing the victim, a 7 month old family member who was hospitalized at the St. Joseph’s Hospital and under video and audio observation because of seizures and sleep apnea. Hinrichs was found doing this on four different occasions — squeezing until the victim’s heart rate and brain waves dropped to dangerous levels.

Hospital staff noticed bruising to the child’s neck and contacted police. After viewing the video, the child is observed struggling, flailing his arms, turning blue and ultimately becoming unresponsive. The child did not suffer any “seizures” when the suspect was not present and he hasn’t suffered a “seizure” since separated from the suspect.

Detectives questioned her at Tampa Police headquarters where she admitted to the crime. There is no indication at this point that the child has any medical condition relating to apnea or
seizures.

The investigation is ongoing and there could be additional charges.