TRISTAN MORGAN - 3 yo/ Medically challenged - San Marcos TX

When his own father allegedly threw him
into a TV screen last March, 3-year-old Tristan Morgan needed 10
stitches to close a gash on his forehead, court records show.
Jerold Morgan


More questions arose later the same
month when the boy broke his arm under suspicious circumstances. The
accounts of continued abuse led to Tristan’s removal from his home this
summer and eventually landed his parents in jail.

Jerold Morgan, 27, and Alexandra
Gatlin, 25, were arrested Oct. 12 for injury to a disabled child, a
first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison.

Tristan is deaf with a tracheotomy tube
and a gastric-feeding tube, and police describe him as a
developmentally delayed child. Three nurses who cared for Tristan at the
suspects’ home in the 200 block of Janzet Drive notified authorities of
the alleged abuse.

One of the nurses, Amanda Tolleson, informed police that she saw Tristan with visible injuries on several occasions.

In November 2010, the nurse observed a
large bruise, black eye and swollen cheek on the boy’s face. She said
that Jerold told her that Tristan was walking with him outside to his
car when Tristan threw himself to the ground and scraped some rocks. But
the nurse said she didn’t believe the father since the boy could not
walk on his own at that time, an affidavit used to secure an arrest
warrant says.
Alexandra Gatlin


The nurse recalled a second episode in
March: Jerold said his son had been rocking in a chair and launched
himself into a TV, shattering it. She doubted the father’s story again,
and called Tristan very timid and cautious without the strength to do
that. Instead, she said that Jerold tossed his son into the TV, she said
in the affidavit, written by San Marcos Police Det. Kathy Misiaszek.

Tolleson detailed a third injury which
resulted in an emergency room visit for Tristan. His mother, Gatlin,
explained to the nurse that she was alone with Tristan when she saw him
break his arm while falling.

But police heard a contradictory story
when a psychologist said that Jerold revealed to him that he was holding
Tristan’s hand when his son pulled away and fell, causing the injury,
investigators say.

In addition, Tolleson disclosed several
times when Jerold used his foot to push Tristan out of the way or made
him stand in a corner for longer than an hour as part of punishment.
Both parents also withheld medical treatment for a life-threatening
infection that later sent the boy to the hospital, she said.

The nurse also claimed she witnessed
Jerold frequently kick the family dogs and one time strangle a cat until
it was unconscious.

The other two nurses, Vea Hodo and Amy
Redding, who also care for Tristan during 16-hour shifts on weekdays,
corroborated much of the stories, saying that Jerold is neglectful and
mentally abusive to Tristan and his younger sister.

In one example, Redding said the boy
had just received Cochlear implants, similar to hearing aids. The doctor
warned her and the parents that Tristan should be in a quiet setting
until he got comfortable with the implants. When they got into the car
to drive home, she says, Jerold cranked up the radio and laughed before
turning it down, the affidavit stated.

As of Tuesday, Jerold remained in
custody at Hays County Jail on a $25,000 bond, while Gatlin had been
released on a bond for the same amount.

According to Hays County civil records, an emergency protective order was issued for Tristan on June 17.
http://smmercury.com/49763/police-dad-severely-abused-disabled-toddler/

Despite his needs there are families out there that would care for this child.
I am sickened by the heartless attitude of these two asshats.
Words cannot describe the punishment they deserve.

Tom, I agree. Poor Tristan has had to live in horrible abuse and he's only 3 years old. I hope and pray he's in a loving and caring home now and his violent parents are sent to jail for a long time. I wish they could be sterilized as well as they shouldn't ever be around kids after what they have done to this poor helpless boy.