REFUGIO, Texas — For the first time, a family is speaking out after their 3-day-old infant was allegedly pepper sprayed by a Refugio police officer in March.
“He had that cough, ever since that day,” the boys father, Michael Paredes said.
Paredes said on March 12, then Refugio Police Officer Lee Jordan pulled him over.
He said Lee claimed he was speeding and had a warrant out for his arrest and asked him to get out of the car.
“I said I’m going to use my phone to call for my baby to get picked up,” Paredes said.
Paredes claims the officer told him no.
“I kind of gave him attitude and plus I was still using the phone and I turned to look at him,” Paredes said. “He pepper-sprayed me all in my face and he pepper sprayed Chelsea in the back.”
He said Lee peppered sprayed his wife while she scrambled to get out of the car.
“He sprayed so much,” Paredes said. “It was all on the babies side, all on the babies crib. His face.”
Paredes said Lee then grabbed his wife, who had given birth three days before, and slammed her to the ground.
“I saw him jump with his knee into her back,” Paredes said.
“Chelsea was like purple and I was the one that was like yelling at the cop like 'hey why do you have her like this',” Michael’s sister, Victoria Paredes, said.
His wife was taken to the hospital and later diagnosed with a concussion. He said his son was released by paramedics but the family took him to a hospital in Victoria the next day.
"His eyes were puffy red and his eyes were closed for two weeks or more,” Paredes said.
According to an arrest affidavit, Jordan is charged with injury to a child.
Paredes said he not only wants justice for his son Rico but for his wife.
No charges were filed associated with her injuries.
KRIS 6 reached out and left messages for the Refugio District Attorney and the Refugio Police Department over Paredes' comments but have not received a response as of Thursday evening.
In 2020, Jordan was awarded officer of the year by the Refugio city council.
He will go before the court on Tuesday, October 26.
