Newborn Brought Up on Sex Assault Charges

CLOVIS, NM — Just hours after being born, an allegedly sex-obsessed infant was taken into custody on charges of harassment.

A maternity nurse present at the birth of Ryan Sambora, the son of Gabriel and Mindy Sambora of Kingfisher Lane, called police after she determined the child had "enjoyed his time in the birth canal a little too much." The hospital worker, Valerie Shales, a six-year veteran of Gouldsborough Family Health Centers, said the woman was clearly in discomfort, even agony, while the son seemed "unwilling to dislodge himself from the mother's vagina."

"He cried in protest as soon as we got him out," Shales explained the ordeal. "He just seemed really determined not to leave Mindy's genitals in peace." Shales said she was obligated to notify the police by the hospital's zero-tolerance sexual-harassment policies.

The two CPD officers called to the scene were at first apprehensive about the allegations, and about detaining possibly the youngest sex offender in New Mexico history. Sgt. Chris Hernandez thought Shales might be "making a mountain out of a mole hill," he said, until he witnessed what he called "inappropriate touching."

"What changed it for me is we come in there and this kid, just without any shame, puts his lips to the mother's — you know, to her chest. We asked him to cease and desist and he wouldn't, so my partner Jake [officer Jacob Lukason] read him his Miranda rights and we took him in. He didn't put up much resistance, thankfully, or things could have turned out pretty bad for him."

Mindy Sambora pleaded with the officers and hospital staff to leave the baby with her. "He needs me! He didn't know any better! Why are they doing this to him?" she said during a brief interview that was frequently interrupted by her tears and outbursts of anger — signs that experts say are typical of the victims of sexual assault.

Ms. Shales, the nurse, said she understood Ms. Sambora's desire not to be separated from her son, but ultimately did what was best for her. "She has put a very brave face on this awful situation, but we all know that Stockholm Syndrome can affect the best of us. We're giving her all the care she needs, including valium, talk therapy, and an instructional DVD called 'You're Not Alone, You're Not to Blame.' "

Police have sent Ms. Sambora's rape kit to the forensics lab in Albuquerque and are expecting the results within a week. Deborah Healey, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office, declined to comment on the case, except to say that the investigation would look into claims by a local obstetrician that Ryan Sambora had repeatedly kicked Mindy, his mother, in utero. Ms. Healey conceded that, if true, "charges of aggravated battery may be considered, but we honestly don't want to get ahead of ourselves."

"Talk about a family tragedy," Sgt. Hernandez said during a phone interview, as the cries of an infant could faintly be heard in the background. "I feel real bad for the mother, and even for this young one we got in our care now. I reckon he may not have known that what he did was wrong. Still, ignorance of the law is no excuse."