Police began investigating Pedro Salinas, a registered sex offender, on May 26 after police received a report of child abuse from the Department of Children and Families, police said.
Salinas, of 2 Lincoln Ave. Unit 1, had met the girl's mother online and convinced her to move with her daughter and older son from California to Connecticut, The Hour said.
Police were called to Norwalk Hospital on June 25, where the girl was suffering from traumatic injuries from physical abuse, police said.
The girl has lost vision in at least one eye, had been starved during time-outs and was infested with lice, The Hour said. She was transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital due to the seriousness of her condition, police said.
The police investigation determined that Salinas had assaulted the 2-year-old girl, police said.
Norwalk police arrested Salinas at Norwalk Superior Court, where he was appearing on another criminal matter, police said.
Salinas was charged with first-degree assault, and risk of injury to a minor and two counts of cruelty to persons. His bond was set at $300,000 after a court appearance July 21, The Hour said.
Click here to read the story at The Hour website.
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