Plea agreement guarantees a probation sentence
By Jon Johnson
CLIFTON – A Clifton woman pleaded guilty to one amended count of child abuse after an investigation showed the woman’s child had suffered “nonaccidental trauma” from second-degree burns on her buttocks.
Destiny Monique Ochoa, 25, of Clifton, originally faced five felony charges, including two counts of child abuse, and three counts of aggravated assault, however, Ochoa accepted a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to a single amended charge of child abuse, dismissing the rest of her charges.
The case stems from an incident discovered during a child exchange on Dec. 14, 2023, when the father became aware of two severe burns on his daughter’s buttocks area. According to police reports, Ochoa mentioned a small blister on the child’s buttock during the exchange which took place in San Carlos, with the father ultimately taking the child back to Queen Creek. When the father examined his daughter, however, he located two large blisters that had burst. He took the child to an emergency room and the doctor there described the blisters as second-degree burns approximately 7” by 9” in diameter. The burn marks matched a tortilla burner kept by the stove.
The defendant vehemently denied burning her 3-year-old child on purpose, but investigators and prosecutors believe she burned the child by placing her on the tortilla burner. During police interrogation, Ochoa first said she believed the burn was diaper rash, then she said it might have been a chemical burn (which was ruled out), suggested a slide was the culprit, and finally said it must have happened at her boyfriend’s mother’s house. Ochoa and the child live with Ochoa’s boyfriend and his three children. The boyfriend’s mother babysits the child but advised she was in fine condition the last time she was in her care.
For her part, Ochoa denied any wrongdoing in her police interviews despite being shown text messages from her cell phone showing she knew the severity of the burns yet did not provide medical attention.
On Monday, Sept. 30, Ochoa signed a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to child abuse, a class-4 felony. The count normally carries a presumptive sentence of 2.5 years in prison, however, the plea stipulates a mandatory probation sentence of up to 4 years.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 4. While the plea agreement guarantees probation, Greenlee County Superior Court Judge Jeremy O. Ford could sentence Ochoa up to a year in jail.
The Clifton Police Department and Greenlee County Attorney’s Office performed the law enforcement investigation in this case.
