A Damascus man is expected to serve 14 years in prison for physically abusing his 5-month-old daughter, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Oliver Hernandez Caballero, 26, was convicted by a Montgomery County Circuit Court jury of first-degree child abuse in February. On Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Jeannie Cho sentenced him to 25 years in prison, with all but 14 years suspended. In addition, Hernandez Caballero was sentenced to serve five years of supervised probation upon release.
Hernandez Caballero called 911 Dec. 28, 2023, when his daughter struggled to breathe and drink from her bottle, according to charging documents. Hernandez Caballero accompanied the infant to Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, charging documents said.
Doctors found injuries on the child’s head and body, including skull fractures, a brain hemorrhage, rib fractures and bruising, and she was transferred to the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., according to charging documents.
The brain hemorrhage was causing her to have difficulty breathing and possible seizures, and additional injuries, such as multiple lacerations to the liver and other abdominal injuries, were found, charging documents indicated.
Child Protective Services (CPS) notified the county police’s Special Victims Investigations Division-Child Abuse and Sex Assault Unit about the situation, according to police.
Police determined Hernandez Caballero was the child’s biological father and charged him with two counts of first-degree child abuse. He was arrested on Jan. 8, 2024 and transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit in Rockville where he was held without bond. Later, in a voluntary interview with police, Hernandez Caballero admitted to punching and shaking his daughter prior to calling 911, according to charging documents.
At the time of his arrest, Hernandez Caballero was a paraeducator at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown. He was placed on administrative leave following his arrest.
