Father Charged With Child Abuse & Willful Injury to Baby Boy

By Joe Ybarra, KSEE24 News

July 25, 2012 Updated Jul 25, 2012 at 6:58 PM PDT

A south valley mother will not face criminal charges after her son suffered a severe head injury.

Laura Castro was released from jail Tuesday night. Her 7-month-old son Nathaniel is still in the hospital.

The Tulare County District Attorneys Office did not file charges on her. However, the son's father, Omar Licon was charged with one count of child abuse and one count of willful injury to a child.

Family members told KSEE24 News the boy was injured when he was alone in a room with his dad. If convicted, Licon could face life in prison.