Editor's note: The 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced the filing of charges against Christina Thurman and Jarvis Smith on Monday, Dec. 30 — the parents of the 1-month-old baby who they allegedly left in the Pecos Street median. They are charged with child abuse, reckless endangerment and violation of a protection order.
WESTMINSTER, Colo. — The family of a 1-month-old boy who was left in the median of a busy Adams County street on Christmas Day told Denver7 that only the boy's father, not his mother, should face charges.
The Adams County Sheriff's Office said a Good Samaritan called 911 around 9:20 a.m. after finding the baby in the area of 7490 Pecos Street.
The boy was found in a car seat/ carrier wearing only a diaper, according to ACSO.
Deputies located his biological parents — Jarvis Sims, 42, and Christina Thurman, 33 — and arrested them for felony child abuse. Both are being held in the Adams County Detention Facility on $50,000 bonds.
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Parents arrested after 1-month-old boy left in Pecos St. median on Christmas Day
Thurman’s family spoke with Denver7 on Thursday, defending the baby’s mother while arguing that the father should be the only one charged.
“My grandson should be here with us. My daughter should be here with us,” said April Aragon, Thurman’s mother and the baby’s grandmother.
Aragon described the past couple of days as “hell.” She and Destiny Aguirre, Thurman’s cousin and the baby’s godmother, said Sims is to blame and should be the only one charged with a crime. They also believe the baby should not be in emergency foster care.
“We were so excited to spend our first Christmas with him,” said Aguirre. “We got robbed of that.”
According to court documents, the parents had an argument, and Thurman left their apartment. Sims brought the baby outside and "yelled" at Thurman to "come get the baby to which she refused," according to the documents.
The affidavit says Sims set the baby on the sidewalk and "went home because he had to work in the morning."
“That man, he doesn't even deserve to see the light of day ever again,” said Aguirre. “You do that to an infant. Like, what? What? What is wrong with you?”
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Baby left in median on Christmas Day tested positive for cocaine: Affidavit
The baby was taken to Children's Hospital Colorado in Broomfield, where his urine test came back positive for cocaine, according to court documents. Thurman’s family also blames Sims for that.
The affidavit says Thurman told law enforcement she “observed Jarvis set [the baby] in the center median” but “due to not wanting to create more problems she turned around.”
“I believe in my heart that she would have went back [and] got her son if she'd seen him sitting there in the median,” said Aragon.
“She walked away from the situation,” Aguirre added. “She doesn't want, like, conflict.”
Aragon told Denver7 Thurman has struggled with alcoholism in the past but has since turned her life around. Her family hopes she can return to take care of her three other young children soon.
“So we just want her reunited with her kids and get the right person charged for this,” said Aragon.
The family told Denver7 they posted Thurman’s $50,000 bond and hope she can be released from jail by Friday.
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