Caroline Neal
RACINE — A 19-year-old Racine man was charged with child neglect after a doctor reportedly found burns on the right side of the child’s face, right hand and upper back.
Relando Clark faces one count of neglecting a child wherein the consequence is bodily harm.
The maximum sentence upon conviction is a fine of not more than $10,000, imprisonment of up to six years, or both.
Online court records show that Racine County Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch set a $1,000 cash bond and a $5,000 signature bond during an April 30 hearing. Clark is scheduled to appear in court May 7.
Allegations
According to a criminal complaint, the Racine Police Department was dispatched to the 900 block of Martin Luther King Drive following a child abuse report.
The complaint details that on Sept. 18, 2024, Clark was watching his newborn baby and the child at an apartment on the 2200 block of Mount Pleasant Street. While in the kitchen, Clark reportedly heard a loud thud, followed by the child crying.
He then reportedly saw the child underneath an elliptical bike machine.
Clark reportedly said he did not see any injuries, but moments later, observed what appeared to be skin peeling on the child’s back and hands.
The child’s mother then returned to the apartment and saw Clark trying to treat the child’s wounds, according to the complaint. The mother reportedly told RPD that Clark contacted emergency services, who said the child needed to go to the hospital.
RPD also asked the mother about a bottle warmer in the apartment. The mother reportedly said it “gets really hot” and that she has burned herself before.
According to the complaint, Clark allegedly said he did not know how the child was injured and “did not even notice the injuries to (the child’s) face until he was leaving with rescue.”
On Sept. 19, 2024, the child was examined by a doctor. RPD received a report documenting the injuries to the child’s face, hand and upper back.
According to the complaint, the report stated the child’s injuries were “inconsistent and unexpected” with being stuck between pedals of a tipped over bicycle. Rather, the report stated that the child’s burns were “consistent with a hot liquid splashing onto him.”
EMS also reportedly suggested that the child’s burns, which appeared in a splash or drip pattern, were caused by a hot liquid.
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