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Medford woman faces new charge in child-abuse case By Chris Bristol A Medford woman convicted of mistreating her seriously burned baby girl was arraigned Wednesday on a felony charge for harboring her husband, who is accused of the same thing. Carol Jeanette Escalante, 34, pleaded not guilty to a charge of hindering prosecution during a brief appearance before a Jackson County judge. She was arrested Aug. 5 at her home in the 300 block of North Ivy Street after police found her husband, Baudelio Orozco Escalante, hiding under the kitchen sink. The case involves a tangled sequence of events that began Oct. 25, when police received a tip that the Escalantes� 13-month-old baby had serious burns on her back. The tip came from a babysitter. "The victim has first- and second-degree burns on her left upper arm, back of head, back and hip," according to an affidavit filed by a detective in the case. "The victim�s head has burn and bruising injuries to her face. The victim also has a broken leg." Carol Escalante told police the child was injured the day before while her husband was "watching the kids." She told them she didn�t take the child to the hospital because she was afraid the state would take away the baby and another child, who was not identified in the affidavit. According to the affidavit, the state already had taken four children from her. In addition, her husband had been previously deported to his native Mexico for felony domestic violence. Baudelio Escalante, 26, was indicted by a grand jury in March on two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment for withholding medical care. He had eluded police since October. Carol Escalante, meanwhile, was convicted in November of first-degree criminal mistreatment, also for failing to seek medical attention for the girl. She was sentenced to 45 days in jail, with credit for time-served, and put on three years� probation. A prosecutor this week said the Escalantes were not charged with child abuse only because it was unclear who was directly responsible for the child�s injuries. A spokeswoman for the Medford branch of Services to Children and Families declined to discuss the case in detail, including the child�s current situation, pending a review of confidentiality rules. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA