Some Charges Dropped for Father Accused of Tattooing Son | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Fresno, CA A Fresno County judge -- ruled there is enough evidence to send a father and his friend to trial for tattooing a child, but they won't face life in prison -- if they're convicted. The father of the seven year old, Enrique Gonzalez, and Travis Gorman are accused of holding the boy down while he received a painful gang tattoo.

Alisa Quillen remembers April 2009 when her step grandson received this dog paw tattoo on his right hip. Quillen said, "He came to me afterwards and said 'Grandma, look what I got. I'm just like my daddy."

Investigators accuse the boy's father, Gonzalez, of holding the boy down while Gorman tattooed him. Judge Hilary Chittick heard the evidence in this case. The prosecutor wanted both men to face aggravated mayhem charges which is partly defined as a person: intentionally causing disfigurement of another human being or depriving a human being of a limb, organ, or member of his or her body.

On Friday, the judge decided mayhem does not fit this case. Doug Foster represents the boy's father and said, "He just made a very bad decision as a parent. He acknowledges the fact that his son was in pain."

Gorman's Attorney Manuel Nieto says his client thought it was ok to tattoo the child, "He's going to think it's ok because the dad/parent is consenting to this."

The boy is expected to undergo treatment to try to remove the gang sign from his body. Gonzalez and Gorman are now facing between seven and ten years in prison, if convicted. Both men return to court in two weeks.