Santa Maria woman’s torture trial starts next week

November 30, 2012

Lorena Arenas

A Santa Maria woman who allegedly punished her then 2-year-old daughter for playing with her makeup by holding the child’s hands in scalding tap water almost three years ago is scheduled to begin trial next week. [SantaMariaTimes]

Lorena Arenas, 26, has been charged with torture, felony child abuse causing great bodily injury and child endangerment.

The child’s father, Jose Gonzalez of Santa Maria, was home at the time of the incident and had refused to drive his daughter to the hospital. He entered a no-contest plea in early 2011 to a count of felony child abuse and was sentenced to four years in state prison.

Arenas admitted the toddler cried for at least 11 hours straight, at the conclusion of which she walked with her daughter several miles to Marian Medical Center.

The child’s third-degree burns were so traumatic she was taken to Sherman Oaks Hospital burn center for specialized treatment.

 


Loading...
46 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Wow, the religious crap-throwing contest is almost as interesting as the story. Is some of this stuff supposed to stick, or will it all slide away while smelling bad? What do you suppose this mother’s own upbringing was like? She probably went to all the best private schools, with parents who spent lots of time attending to her needs, making sure her heart was filled with nothing but love – BULLSHIT!!! And you all know it, especially you compassionate Christians, always waiting for any opportunity to share your tolerance and understanding. She is a symptom of bad parenting herself, another generation of sadness that follows her family like a curse. So what should be done, licensing to birth, good luck finding a legal way lock-up folks reproductive hardware, or convince them that they should abstain because, according to the rest of us, they’re not worthy? Sadly, these conversations ALL lead to an argument for sterilization, and we all know how well that went for the last bunches who tried it. Suck-it-up folks, at least the little girl is still alive and her loser parents likely won’t have much more impact on the rest of her life.


Randy,


Religious crap throwing contest? We TRUE Christians can relate to CCN as being “our camp” to engage the heathens and pagans relative to their unholyness. Therefore, we’re under a godly edict that there will be absolutely no crap anywhere!


“As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.” (Deuteronomy 23:13-14)


We can only assume that our Lord also doesn’t want to step in it, therefore, we’re to cover it, praise!


Randy Sheila very well said! Don’t engage Mr. Clown “Ted Sanders” anymore he loves to get his

last religious ” crap throwing” word in.


KCOY reported that the couple lived in an upstairs apartment directly across the street from Santa Maria’s City Fire Station Number 1. This woman could have walked across the street to get help. She graduated from Santa Maria High School. She was also declared mentally competent to stand trial by both the defense psychiatrist and the prosecution psychiatrist.


“She told me that she intentionally burned her daughter’s hands with hot water,” Huffman said.


Arenas told Huffman that she held the girl’s hands under running water in the bathroom for about five minutes, according to the detective. He said he tested the water temperature at the apartment, and it reached 135 degrees after four minutes when turned as hot as it could go.


Gonzalez was home at the time of the incident, and refused to drive the toddler to the hospital when Arenas, realizing the severity of her daughter’s injuries, asked him to, Huffman testified.


Arenas did not call 9-1-1, but instead walked to a nearby drugstore to buy ointment to treat the burns. “She said that she was afraid of getting in trouble for what she had done,” Huffman said.


The child cried for at least 11 hours straight, having been burned the early evening of April 14 and not taken to Marian Medical Center until about 4:15 a.m. April 15. At that time, Arenas walked with the girl several miles to the hospital, according to Huffman and other prosecution witnesses.


Marisa Tanore, who now works with the District Attorney’s Office but was formerly an investigator with the Santa Maria Police Department, testified that Arenas told her at Marian that her3-year-old child was home alone because Gonzalez had to go to work.


Child Welfare Services took custody of the 3-year-old at the home, Tanore said.


Huffman said Arenas told him she had used hot water for discipline previously, and that she also had used cold water to punish both her children.


“She said that normally she doesn’t torture her kids like that,”he added.


The little girl has since undergone emergency surgery at the Sherman Oaks Burn Center where she remains in serious condition.


She’s a piece of crap mother any way you look at it!


These are the type of scumbags of society who should not be allowed to breed,

but sadly, they are the ones who breed the most.


AMEN!


They should both be hanged


Where is the child now? This is just horrible.


This mother is one sick piece of dog crap! She was too dam stupid to realize that this precious little girl

probably watched her put on her makeup and just wanted to be like mommy . I can remember my baby

girl who is now 16 at that age ALWAYS getting into my makeup, I have many pictures of her with tons

of my makeup smeared all over her face and her always saying ” me pretty like mommy” oh what

priceless memories!!!! I then I made her her own little make up bag. This monster of a mother sickens

me to no end! scalding those babies hands over makeup. Id love a few minutes with her alone in a room

just give me one minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I agree, little girls do stuff like this. My daughter and cousin at this age (now in their 20s) got into my sister-in-law’s makeup at Christmas one year and smeared it all over themselves and for fun dumped the remaining liquid foundation down the floor heating vent. They got a scolding and a good washing. End of story.


My question is, where is the little girl now?


To answer your question about where the child is now. My initial research indicated that the child was placed into foster care with responsible relatives as was her 3 year old sister. Yes the couple had a 2 and 3 year old. When the mother took 2 year old “Jane” to the hospital, the father left for work and the 3 year old was left home alone at 4:15 in the morning !


I agree that neither parent should ever, NOT EVER have custody of a child again. The mother was initially found to be too mentally ill to even assist with her own defense but there is no certain cure for mental illness and she should never be allowed to care for a child again in my opinion. The father should have got more than 4 years in prison but the DA gave him a plea deal so that he (the DA) could go after the mentally ill mother.


To answer your question about where the child is now. My initial research indicated that the child was placed into foster care with responsible relatives as was her 3 year old sister. Yes the couple had a 2 and 3 year old. When the mother took 2 year old “Jane” to the hospital, the father left for work and the 3 year old was left home alone at 4:15 in the morning !


I agree that neither parent should ever, NOT EVER have custody of a child again. The mother was initially found to be too mentally ill to even assist with her own defense but there is no certain cure for mental illness and she should never be allowed to care for a child again in my opinion. The father should have got more than 4 years in prison but the DA gave him a plea deal so that he (the DA) could go after the mentally ill mother.


50 years ago an elderly man once commented to me that no one should have children except for the rich.


Wow, I can see why you never forgot that, Willie. Hmmmmmm.


justme

says:

11/30/2012 at 11:34 am

Wow, I can see why you never forgot that, Willie. Hmmmmmm.


The old man’s comment referred to seeing too much poor parents, otherwise naturally loving and caring, struggle and suffer throughout the decades trying to raise children.

I don’t understand your comment or is it just your sarcasm or satire?


I thought how much smoother things woulld be. Maybe someday if or when the population and crime/violence gets crazy…..which is now.


I have a hard time believing that a mother would intentionally do this to her little child.


I can only think that perhaps the mother didn’t initially realize that the water was “scalding”. She probably thought it was very hot and while that is no way to punish a child, I don’t believe that she knew it would cause injury rather than discomfort. I’ve concluded this because the child cried for 11 hours and an abusive mother would have beat the child to make her shut up rather than desperately walking the child to a hospital. It doesn’t sound like she had any friends to call for help and perhaps she didn’t have a phone to call anyone for help. The mother sounds a bit mentally challenged and abused herself by her husband who I suspect played a greater role in all this apart from refusing to drive the child to the hospital. Either way, what a sad story.


Some people are nothing more than animals, even though you may have a hard time believing it. It’s true. Ask anyone who had dealt with child abuse cases, or has been physically abused by a parent.


Cindy,


What the hell planet are you living on???!!!


We’re all aware of your lack of knowledge pertaining to true Christianity, that is a given, but to state that you personally think that this harlot of Babylon mother wouldn’t intentionally do this to her little child is preposterous! What you perceive, and what reality proposes, is 180 degrees apart.


Case in point, she held her daughters hands under scalding HOT water, then she let her child cry for eleven hours straight! Outright abuse? What do you think? HELLO?


In your seemingly fermented grape induced stupor, you made more insidious assumptions than I’ve ever seen here on CCN; especially relating to hold the mother not responsible!


“I have a hard time believing that a mother would intentionally do this to her little child.”


Cindy, enter the REAL WORLD by perusing the following link;


http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics?gclid=CIqC38ac97MCFYN_QgodngcAUQ


Unbelievable.


I just did more research and it would appear that my hunch is right on target. The mother was 23 at the time and it has taken 2 years to get her to trial because she was found mentally ill and initially unable to assist with her own defense. The father is 46 and is a very MEAN looking gang banger who refused to allow the mother to get her child help. I doubt that she is even the one who harmed the child. NOW GO STUFF IT.


Cindy,


Such insolence from a biblically backed second class woman! (1 Corinthians 11:3) Barring this fact, where is your evidence?


I am sure that the Hebrew/Christian God will allow you to speak at this time instead of your biblically proclaimed command to remain silent as a woman in this case! (Timothy 2:11-12 )


Provide links to your private knowledge upon this topic.


You don’t seem to have any problem googleing for bible verses that you take out of context. Try using it (GOOGLE) to locate additional information about this story. You find a photo of mom and nasty dad side by side with other information out there.


Cindy,


Let me ask you once again, you provide the substantiated links. We’re waiting.


Oh, I don’t have to Google any bible passages because of my extensive knowledge of same in many notes, and that you’ve felt the sting from many times WITHIN CONTEXT.


Still waiting.


Ted,


Your trolling has gone too far this time. Give it a rest.


OTOH,


CCN will determine whether my statements have gone too far, and not you, thankyouverymuch. Producing facts, instead of Cindy’s subjective and perceived notions, seems not to be forthcoming.


ah Cindy don’ t engage him. Poor thing always wants the last biblical word!!!!!


letsbdishonest,


Yes, Cindy has learned the hard way. She tries in vain to engage the Brother Ted on religious matters, and at all times, she falls short of the goal line. Maybe this is why she is being silent.


Then again, she just may actually be following the bible as a second class woman by remaining SILENT, and not to usurp the authority over the man!


““Let the women learn is silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, not to ursurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. ” (Timothy 2:11-12)


Let Mr.Sanders learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not not to

Ted to teach, for him not to upsurb authority over cal coast news readers.

but for him to be in silence and HUSH!!!!!!!!


Cindy,

“I can only think…”

“She probably thought….”

“I don’t believe she knew…”

“I’ve concluded this….”

“Abused by her husband who I suspect….”


Are you for real with this amount of conjecture?


Well, here is some conjecture on my part regarding you-


Axis II disorder.


“Believing without all the facts ” that a sane mother would intentionally inflict 3rd degree burns on a two year old for playing with makeup sounds more like a personality that would fit into an Axis II disorder, slocyclist …….


Cindy,


1. You don’t know what I believe about the mom/dad/child because I didn’t spew all sorts of conjecture. You know why? Because I DON’T have all the facts, I can’t make conclusions. This is the exact point I was making in my post. You should reflect on this for a moment.


2. Your “believing without all the facts” vignette would actually not suggest a Axis II disorder. Clearly, you are not a professional in that field.


3. Regarding you, I stand by my diagnosis.


Cheers


Cindy….. This blog, and others of Yours …. You live in a dream world. Im sure that some people can justify the Mothers actions……. But being mentaly challenged doesnt justfy this kind of action. Its a hard world out there… hope You never have to learn it first hand. A lot of Attorenys would love to have You on their Jury.