Father Charged in Son's Fire Death

Father Charged in Son's Fire Death


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OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- A father has been charged with child-abuse homicide in the death of his 3-year-old son, who allegedly was left unattended in an apartment where a fire broke out.

Carlos Socrates Rodriguez, 23, was charged in 2nd District Court on Tuesday.

He is accused of leaving his son, Eduardo Rodriguez -- called Lalo -- alone in their Ogden apartment for more than an hour and 20 minutes on April 22, according to court documents.

While the father was gone, the apartment caught fire shortly after 10 p.m. Firefighters found the boy unconscious and face down on the bedroom floor. The cause of death was determined to be smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Lalo's mother was 15 when he was born. The mother and child were placed in a foster home after his birth, Department of Child and Family Services spokeswoman Carol Sisco said.

The mother gave birth to Lalo's half-sister less than two years earlier. Alayne Chavez was Lalo's foster mother at one time and she adopted Lalo's sister.

In October 2000, Lalo was hospitalized for shaken-baby syndrome, Chavez said. Sisco said legal action was taken against Lalo's birth mother.

Lalo was in the hospital for eight days before going to live with Chavez to continue his rehabilitation. Lalo made a full recovery, Chavez said.

Lalo lived in the Chavez house until April 2001, when a judge ordered that he be placed on a 60-day trial basis with Rodriguez. After 60 days, Lalo was allowed to live with his father full time.

Court records show that in October 2000, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, intoxication and interfering with a public servant. In March 2000, he pleaded guilty to DUI and driving on an expired license. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to simple assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child -- Lalo.

Rodriguez was ordered to attend domestic violence counseling, Sisco said. Because he was complying with treatment, DCFS did not have a reason to remove Lalo from the house, she said.

There were no allegations that Lalo ever was abused while he lived with his father, Sisco said.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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