Misdemeanor charge dropped against Iowa City man accused in toddler's death

The Johnson County Attorney's Office has dropped charges against an Iowa City man for allegedly leaving a 20-month-old toddler home alone in April, because that man now faces more serious charges in connection with the child's death.

Jorge Perez, 21, was arrested April 30 – hours after Marcus Balderas died – on suspicion of leaving the toddler home alone for up to 20 minutes on April 25. Perez was charged with child endangerment without injury in that case while authorities continued to investigate the child's death as suspicious.

Perez and 18-year-old Mireya Balderas, the child's mother and Perez' girlfriend, were arrested June 10 in connection with Marcus' death after the medical examiner's office determined the boy died of blunt force injuries to the head and called the manner of death homicide.

Perez has been charged with two counts of child endangerment resulting in death – one for a series of assaults that police say led to the toddler's death and one for the injuries that investigators say took Marcus' life on April 30.

Balderas is facing one count of child endangerment resulting in death on allegations she participated in the abuse and didn't protect her child from Perez.

Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness told The Gazette that her office decided to drop the less serious charge against Perez in deference to charges filed in connection with the homicide.

When the Department of Human Services was called to the mobile home of Perez and Balderas at 2018 Waterfront Drive on April 25, a DHS worker noticed bruising on the child's face, according to police. But the bruising was consistent with injuries a typical toddler might sustain in daily activities, so the worker didn't contact authorities at the time, police reported.

Iowa City police were called to the mobile home five days later on April 30 on a report of a child having difficulty breathing. When they arrived, according to court documents, they found Marcus in apparent distress and vomiting, according to the documents.

The child had been in the care of Perez at the time, and responding paramedics noticed bruising on Marcus' face, according to court documents. The child was rushed to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he was pronounced dead.

Perez, according to police, later admitted to hitting the child on the face with his knuckles, holding a pillow over the child's face because he wouldn't sleep, stepping on the boy's stomach, throwing the child in the air and not catching him, and slapping him in the face.

Balderas, according to police, admitted to hitting her son in the face numerous times, holding a pillow over his head to get him to sleep, and witnessing her boyfriend abuse the child, the release said.

If convicted of child endangerment resulting in death, Perez and Balderas could face up to 50 years in prison for each charge.