TAMPA - Police arrested an 18-year-old mother Wednesday after reports that she pushed her newborn's face down onto a bed twice and said she would kill herself and the baby girl.
Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin said Veronica Evon Jones of 2905 N 50th St., Apt 221, was at home Wednesday evening when an unidentified witness saw Jones grab the 2-month-old baby and force her face down onto a bed twice. Then Jones threatened to kill herself and her child, Durkin said.
When police arrested Jones and put her, handcuffed, in the back of a patrol car, Jones started kicking the window, causing $500 damage, Durkin said.
She is charged with aggravated child abuse, a first-degree felony, and criminal mischief, a second-degree misdemeanor, jail records show.
Jones, who told police she is a cook at McDonald's, was held without bail in the county jail. The baby was placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families. Durkin said the baby suffered no visible injuries.
