Saginaw Man Accused of Scalding Toddler’s Hands

A judge recently adjourned the scheduled preliminary examination for a 28-year-old father from Saginaw who is facing life in prison. Prosecutors allege that Elliot J. Robinson deliberately held his 2-year-old son’s hands under scalding hot water long enough that the child required skin grafts to repair the damage.

 
According to police reports, while Robinson was looking after his son at their home, the child had a bowel movement and got some of the feces on his hands. After disciplining the boy, Robinson put the child’s hands in the sink and turned on the water without checking the temperature. He held the boy’s forearms and elbows in place, submerging his hands.

 
After about 10 seconds the child began to cry. By then the burns were so bad that his skin peeled off his hands like gloves. As a result the boy has skin grafts to mend the damage done by the burns.

 
Robinson has been charged with first degree child abuse, which is a felony and can  be punished by up to life in prison. According to Michigan state law, first degree child abuse occurs when a person “knowingly or intentionally causes serious physical or serious mental harm to a child.”

 
Initially Robinson was being represented by defense attorney George B. Mullison, but Mullison withdrew from the case the day before the scheduled preliminary hearing. Matthew E. Gronda, the attorney replacing Mullison, had not yet had time to properly review the case and prepare for the hearing.

 
Bay County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Nancy E. Borushko stated in court that there were hundreds of pages of medical records that still needed to be passed on to the new defense councel from the prosecution in order to prepare for court. Additionally, a doctor from Ann Arbor who was going to provide expert testimony for the prosecution was not available for the hearing that day.

 
Bay County Chief District Judge Timothy J. Kelly has rescheduled the preliminary examination for Wednesday, July 9th at 1:30 pm.