Bradenton man arrested after fleeing trial hours before verdict

A Bradenton man was arrested late Friday after fleeing during the last day of his trial just hours before a jury convicted him of abusing his then-girlfriend's 13-month-old child.

Carlos Gutierrez, 27, was convicted of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect Friday following a week-long trial. He now faces up to 45 years in prison.

But about four hours before the jury went out to deliberate on Friday, Gutierrez left the courthouse during a recess when he said he was going to the bathroom. Deputies in the courtroom had confirmed with deputies at the entrance that Gutierrez had been seen leaving with his now-wife, Melida Motino.

Motino, the mother of the child, is now on house arrest after pleading no contest to the lesser charge of child neglect without great bodily harm in the same case.

The trial proceeded without him and after deliberating less than an hour, the jury convicted him on both counts.

By 5 p.m., Assistant State Attorney Cynthia Evers had already been informed that Gutierrez had been apprehended.

“I am glad that they caught him and he is in custody,” Evers said.

Gutierrez will be sentenced at 3 p.m. Sept. 14.

“We are very fortunate that this defendant was convicted and that he will not have access to children,” Evers said in an issued statement earlier Friday afternoon. “This type of abuse to a baby will not be tolerated.”

On Aug. 21, Gutierrez and Motino had taken the child to Blake Medical Center and said she had suffered a seizure. The child, who suffered from head trauma including a complex skull fracture, was transported to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg for further treatment.

Law enforcement had been contacted because the head trauma was consistent with abuse. Gutierrez later told detectives that he didn’t immediately seek medical treatment after causing the injury because he knew child protective services would be called.

On Thursday, Gutierrez also failed to show up for court and his defense attorney told the court that he was in the hospital because he was having a panic attack. He was released a short time later and on Friday morning he was questioned to make sure he was able to proceed.

This story was originally published August 5, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Bradenton man arrested after fleeing trial hours before verdict."