October trial date set for couple facing child abuse charges

by Jackee Coe - Jul. 28, 2010 02:04 PM

The Arizona Republic

Goodyear's former engineering director and his wife will go on trial in October to face allegations that they abused their adopted daughter during a "potty-training war," according to Maricopa County Superior Court records.

Raul Varela, 41, faces two counts of child abuse and his wife, Tricia, 40, faces four counts of child abuse. If convicted, they could get 10 to 24 years in prison.

The trial was set for June 28 but was rescheduled to Oct. 18, court records show.

The Goodyear couple was arrested April 28, 2009, after Tricia Varela took their daughter, then 4, to West Valley Hospital in Goodyear early that morning, according to a Goodyear police report.

Tricia Varela initially took the girl to the hospital about 12:30 a.m. for abdominal pain, but doctors discovered severe bruising on her legs, arms, upper and lower back, abdomen and head, as well as what appeared to be a broken arm, according to the police report.

Deemed to be in critical condition, the girl was taken to Maricopa Medical Center's Pediatric Unit in Phoenix. Further examination revealed the girl had abdominal bruising on both sides of her body extending to her lower back, the report states. She also had two broken legs and a fracture to her upper right arm.

The Varelas told police they caused the girl's injuries three days earlier during a "potty-training war," the report shows. They said they forced her on the toilet by restraining her with her hands held behind her back, pushing on her stomach, back and legs, and pushing her head down between her legs.

The girl was released from the hospital almost two months later and placed into the care of Child Protective Services, police said.

There were six children living with the couple: two biological sons, then 7 and 9, and four adopted daughters, then 2 to 8, including the victim. They also are in the care of CPS. While they await trial, the Varelas are prohibited from having unsupervised contact with anyone younger than 18, court documents state.

Goodyear fired Varela from his $121,000 a year job as engineering director on June 3, 2009. He had held that post since September 2006, city officials said.