LANCASTER – A 27-year-old Palmdale woman accused of brutally beating her boyfriend’s two-year-old son in public has been ordered to trial on two felony charges.
Michelle Fletcher was ordered to stand trial for corporal injury on a child, as well as a newly filed charge of child cruelty causing possible injury or death, after a preliminary hearing in an Antelope Valley courtroom Friday.
A pregnant Fletcher sat quietly, holding a sonogram image and occasionally shaking her head, as a Spanish-speaking eyewitness testified about what happened on the afternoon of Feb. 21.
Fletcher was walking near 10th Street East and Avenue Q-4, pushing a baby carriage while scolding and striking a crying toddler walking beside her, the eyewitness testified.
Fletcher lifted the toddler’s hand and kneed him in the buttocks at least twice, according to the witness. At one point, Fletcher wrapped a belt around the child’s neck and “lifted him up,” the witness testified.
“When she raised him up, I reacted,” the witness said, through a Spanish interpreter. The witness said her daughter made the 9-1-1 call and translated the details for deputies.
Palmdale Sheriff’s deputy Mario Villalobos testified that when he responded to the area, the two-year-old boy was “extremely lethargic” and appeared to be “falling asleep on his feet.”
He said the little boy was also missing a chunk of hair.
“I saw that he was missing two braids off his head,” Villalobos testified.
The deputy said he found the two missing braids, along with a belt, in Fletcher’s diaper bag. When questioned, Fletcher said the little boy ripped his own hair out during a tantrum, Villalobos testified.
The boy was airlifted to Children’s Hospital that afternoon, where he remained for nearly two weeks until his release on March 6, according to testimony by Detective Laura Bruner of the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victim’s Bureau.
Bruner testified that she spoke to the nurse in charge, who said the toddler was extremely dehydrated and had numerous superficial wounds and bruises, lots of scabbing, and strangulation marks on his neck.
Bruner also testified that she spoke to a social worker, who said the boy had only recently been released from the foster care system, where he was placed after his biological mother’s arrest.
The boy was returned to his biological mother on Feb. 7, and he was allowed a custody visit with his biological father and Fletcher on Feb. 14, a week prior to the alleged incident, Bruner testified.
Fletcher’s defense attorney James McNamara argued that the boy suffered no broken bones or severe injuries likely to cause death, and that there was no time reference on any of the child’s superficial injuries.
“None of those injuries seem to have taken place on the day in question,” McNamara said. His motion to reduce the charges to misdemeanors was denied, and Fletcher was held to answer on both felony counts.
She was ordered back to custody on $100,000 bail with a second arraignment set for March 21.
Previous related story: Palmdale woman arrested for beating 2-year-old
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christina says
I hope and pray that she gets what is coming… that is so sad… poor little child! this just makes me sick to my stomach to think that someone can be so cruel!
Mike C says
Time to pay the piper you fat ugly skank. I hear the women in LA county jail are meaner then guys when it comes to child abusers. I doubt if she ever makes it to prison.
Nate says
Had that been my son. She wouldn’t need to stand trial she would have been issued the death penalty right where she stood. Thats why people should watch who they bring around they’re children because this world is full of demons
marina says
Thats what im talking about : CPS is quick to remove kids from Moms on false allegations in “Riverside, PalmDesert area” And are put in fathers or other s to care where their are Physco but hell no try to call them !! They rather kids stay in abusive, mentally verbally homes and are denied to be reunited with biological Parents asap , and do montiored visits . Too many babies dying in the hands of CPS…,,,
SoccerMom says
My Mom Cat treats her baby kittens with more love and tenderness than this evil witch. Maybe she can take some lessons from animals because they treat their babies better then this POS. I cannot refer to her as a human, Mom or women hence POS. This is a more appropriate title for her.
L wagner says
I hope and pray the defense doesn’t try to discredit the witnesses just becuz the witnesses are Spanish speaking.
natasha says
I totally agree with you :( this world is full of hatred
I've seen it all says
I noticed no said anything about the father. That child was just returned to the ABUSIVE mother. Who in turn allowed the father to visit and he is with a second ABUSIVE woman, both who already have kids and more on the way. If DCFS was run correctly, ALL of these kids would be removed and they should be waiting to snatch the one in the oven as soon as she delivers.
Whit says
Her [removed] deserves to be in jail!!! She’s lucky our justice system doesn’t involve an eye for an eye where someone could lift her [removed] up
By the neck with a belt!!! If she did all that in public, imagine what she’s done behind closed doors!!!! This is truly sad!!! Poor baby got his hair ripped out as well ?? That broad is evil, straight evil!!! She needs her [removed] whooped I’m sorry!!! Hopefully other inmates will know what she did and take care of that! N
TakeBackTheCity says
Seeing that child’s hair pulled out… somebody hold me back.
Iri says
Right?! Why does God give these people these wonderful angels. How can someone hurt a child like that. So sick to my stomach.
m says
Appropriate punishment for the crime – drop her off in the most backward country in the middle east and let them handle her with a nice stoning.
photogirl says
Mr. McNamara you are an idiot. Most of his injury’s seemed to have taken place on this day in question. Maybe there were no broken bones…..but yes she tortured him in public and behind closed doors. A monster doesn’t just start off being a monster in public one day out of the blue. Her holding a sonogram picture is nothing we care about. Nor do we feel sorry for her. She now has 2 kids in the foster care system and has tried to kill someone else’s child. Guess the new baby will join the rest and we pray she never gets to see any of them ever again.
Extreme Measures says
I hate to say it, but maybe the only real solution is that women like this should be sterilized so they can stop being breeders that bleed money from tax payers. I know that’s extreme, but what else can be done? Seriously… we as a society need to come-up with a solution, because as long as people like her (and I hesitate calling “her” or “people” because she’s less-than human to me) are going to continue to have more and more kids they cannot take care of and get more and more $$$ from the rest of us.
bags4kids says
This monster should never see the light of day. Witnesses saw her wrap a belt around his neck, kick him, hit him with a belt and there is a question to who did all of these terrible things to him……………….REALLY????????? He almost died!!!!! Why didn’t the dad save him from Michelle? He should be in jail too. To everyone that called 911 that day……………Thank you!!!!!!!!!! You saved his life. We will be glad when the whole story comes out. Everyone needs to know.
Kameron says
Poor baby. And we wonder why “people grow up the way they do” sometimes. This is so sad it almost seems pointless. The whole thing, I mean. Unless God blessed this little boy with ultra strength how is someone like this suppose to recover from what he’s been thru in just 2 years? Do you really think this child’s bad luck stops here? Maybe for him, for this one, is will, if he’s lucky. Blessed. God, I am praying you are with him! And the many others born in unfair, uncontrollable, environments. People need to hold themselves accountable and if they don’t, we got a system for that. Put that monster away!
Keona says
Well Said..
hector says
She was caught committing a crime. Theres witnesses and it doesn’t matter if the witness doesn not speak English. There translaters or maybe she doesn’t see in English either. Lol Maybe people will wake up and realize child abuse is incorrect and you will.be prosecuted for it. My child can drive me up the wall sometimes but I find a more proactive approach to deal with her misbehaviors. Also I wanna add that these are children and if u can’t handle one don’t have any. Use condoms or birth control.
Fed Up says
Another failed child in the foster care system…..what a surprise.
SMH says
You should have thought about that sonogram BEFORE you were so comfortable to beat that baby. You deserve to lose ALL rights to any and every child forever. And your attorney is an IDIOT. He says there was no broken bones or severe injuries likely to cause death. Yea..ok THIS TIME. So we should stand by and WATCH until her dumb a*s kills the baby, right? How do you sleep with yourself? Absolutely ridiculous. That baby can come live with me where he will be loved and APPRECIATED. I’ve already adopted so it really wouldn’t be much to open my home to another baby that needs love and SAFETY. NO SECOND CHANCES, SHE SHOULD ROT IN THAT PRISON
oh geez... says
pregnant? really? oh great. quote: “A pregnant Fletcher sat quietly, holding a sonogram image” huh?.. is that supposed to make people feel sorry for her and perhaps help her avoid jail time?
I would like to thank drugs and alcohol for this mess. You see.. those 2 things make it SO EASY to have sex without worrying about the consequences.. get drunk or high? then you won’t care about a condom…. you will just care about instant gratification.. Do you really think the kid she abused or the kid in her belly was planned??
disgusted and angry says
I’m pretty sure the original story stated she had her own 8 month old with her at the time to. The fact she beat a child in broad daylight for people to see says a lot about what she is capable of… remind me again why is she allowed to even have an ultrasound with her? innocent until proven guilty my A…. I hope this child was examined by a SARS team, so they can bury her attorney at trial to. They have technology that can put good timelines to injuries & show injuries the human eye can’t see. She’s a sad excuse & has no right to the title of mom… Ever again.
OhHellNO! says
All I have to say is screw jail time for this bitch! Let me have a few minutes alone with her to treat her like she treated that poor baby!
Im just saying says
Ditto!
Jaime says
I don’t know if I’d go solely blame drugs and alcohol. I’m sure babies are nothing but a pretty paycheck to people like her. The more kids she churns out, the more she gets from the govt. (At the minor inconvenience at having to ::gasp!:: raise them). But hey, it’s a small exchange and now she can get more horribly placed tattoos and shirts that don’t fit her.