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Hearing reveals details of Palmdale infant abuse case

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Sahar Prime (aka Sahar Rodriguez) and George Zachary Prime.
Sahar Prime (aka Sahar Rodriguez) and George Zachary Prime.

LANCASTER –The mother of a Palmdale baby boy in critical condition with a brain injury can remain free while her felony child abuse case moves through the court system, a judge ruled.

After a lengthy bail review hearing that began Wednesday and concluded Thursday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shannon Knight allowed Sahar Anita Prime, 31, to remain out of custody on her own recognizance.

Sahar Prime and her husband, George Zachary Prime, 30, are each charged with felony child abuse with a special allegation of inflicting great bodily injury, cruelty to a child by endangering health, and maintaining a place for selling or using a controlled substance (methamphetamine). George Prime additionally faces nearly two dozen drug-related criminal charges. (Read more here.)

The case stems from an April 1 incident when authorities were called to a Palmdale home in the 2500 block of Alexander Avenue regarding an infant not breathing. (LUIS MEZA)
The case stems from an April 1 incident when authorities were called to a Palmdale home in the 2500 block of Alexander Avenue regarding an infant not breathing. (LUIS MEZA)

The case stems from an April 1 incident when first-responders were called to a Palmdale home regarding an infant not breathing. The couple’s 5-month-old son, Hayden, was rushed to the hospital.

Baby Hayden suffered a permanent brain injury and he remains in critical condition at Children’s Hospital, according to Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami.

George Prime has been in jail since his April 1 arrest, and felony child abuse charges were filed April 6 against both George and Sahar Prime. Sahar Prime was released on her own recognizance after her initial arraignment April 13, and then the case was amended April 16 to include several new charges, prompting the bail review hearing.

Details of the case were revealed Wednesday and Thursday as attorneys on both sides argued over whether Sahar Prime should remain free on her own recognizance.

Defense attorney Carlos Morales stressed that Sahar Prime was at work on April 1 during the time when baby Hayden stopped breathing at home; therefore, the charges against his client were “disingenuous,” he said. There was no evidence to suggest baby Hayden had been physically beaten or had ingested any illegal substances, Morales said, and the infant’s condition could have been caused by some other unknown, presumably natural consequences. He said Sahar Prime had been gainfully employed since 2003, she had strong ties to the community and she did not pose a danger to public safety. A stay away order was in place to prevent Sahar Prime from having any contact with baby Hayden and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services had gotten involved, Morales said.

But the prosecutor argued that Sahar Prime should be remanded on $160,000 bail based on the seriousness of the charges and because her arrest meant she had violated her deferred entry of judgment in connection with an incident last November when she and George Prime were caught stealing from Walmart with baby Hayden in tow.

Citing medical records, the prosecutor said baby Hayden suffered asphyxiation on April 1, which left him with brain damage.

“Somebody smothered that baby and the baby lost oxygen and, as a result of that, suffered a permanent brain injury,” Hatami told the judge.

In explaining why Sahar Prime is charged with felony child abuse, Hatami said the Palmdale mother knew her husband used and abused illegal drugs, yet she left him with baby Hayden. The prosecutor said George Prime admitted to using methamphetamine at 7 a.m. April 1, when Sahar Prime would still have been at home. This means if Sahar Prime was at work that afternoon when baby Hayden stopped breathing, then she knowingly left her 5-month-old baby with someone who was doing methamphetamine, the prosecutor argued.

He said deputies found methamphetamine inside the home, along with 13 used syringes, seven spoons with methamphetamine and two glass smoking devices. They also found baby Hayden with blood on his nose and mouth, the prosecutor said.

He said Sahar Prime had a duty to act to protect her child and she failed to do so, which prompted the child abuse charge and the great bodily injury allegation.

In the end, the judge sided with the defense. Judge Knight said she took into account the fact that Sahar Prime’s alleged culpability was not in her performing a physical act to injure her child, but in leaving her child in the care of George Prime. Knight also said the great bodily injury allegation against Sahar Prime was “somewhat tenuous.”

Following the hearing Thursday, the prosecutor said he was disappointed with the outcome. “In the Antelope Valley, child abuse is a serious issue,” Hatami said, adding that he wanted both defendants to be remanded to police custody based on the serious nature of the charges.

A preliminary hearing is set for May 12 at the Antelope Valley courthouse to determine if there is enough evidence to require Sahar Prime and George Prime to stand trial.

Previous related story: Palmdale couple charged with felony child abuse, infant in critical condition

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UPDATED 5/12/15: The preliminary hearing for Sahar Prime and George Prime has been postponed to Tuesday, June 16, according to the prosecutor. We will continue to follow this story.

UPDATED 6/16/15: The preliminary hearing for Sahar Prime and George Prime has now been set for Tuesday, July 21, according to Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami. At the conclusion of that hearing, a judge will determine if there is enough evidence against the pair to warrant a trial. We are still following this story.

UPDATED 7/23/15:The preliminary hearing did not happen July 21. Defense attorneys for George and Sahar Prime have asked for more time to prepare the case. There will be a hearing on Aug. 12, when attorneys on both sides will set a new date for a preliminary hearing in the case. At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, a judge will determine if there is enough evidence against the pair to warrant a trial. We will continue to follow this story.

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

75 comments for "Hearing reveals details of Palmdale infant abuse case"

        • After the trial, if there is one. Where else would you want it to be?

          Does “innocent until proven guilty” sound familiar? How about “rule of law”? How about “right to a trial by jury”?

          SURELY some of these things at least sound familiar, right?

          • Of course they do however; if it were your relative be it grandson, son, nephew,… etc. Would you want the mother roaming free as a bird… waiting to see if there is “sufficient” evidence to proceed????????

          • I dunno. If there’s no evidence against her would you want her locked up? Executed? Why?

          • She willing left her child with a know drug addict, if that is not evidence enough I do not know what is. She had plenty of resources to find alternate babysitting… She should deserves a sentence. NOT INNOCENT.

          • At last report over 50% of adult Americans take at least one prescription drug regularly. Finding someone to leave your kids with who isn’t a drug addict is not real easy to do.

          • Meth is not a prescription drug!
            And it was used, sold, stored…and THEN there is the charge for shoplifting PAINT THINNER which is a key ingredient for manufacturing meth. DEFINITELY an unsafe environment – especially for a child starting to crawl. At least neither of them are allowed anywhere near that poor child now

  7. I can tell you first hand from dating that position George. He’s always had a drug and alcohol problem. I had him admitted to Olive View for a suicide attempt. He was a LVN taking care of an older couple while drinking heavily on the job. He was also doing extacy, and acid on his day off before having to go back to work. I found out about this and left as quickly as possible but not before being swindled out of a lot of money. He never should have been able to reproduce. I feel for the poor child that was hurt in the whole thing. Just sad!

    • I know how you feel from also dating this individual. He is manipulative, and looking back now that I am older and wiser, he was totally using when I lived with him. Took me a while to get out of there and so glad I did.

  8. I knew this [removed] when I worked with her and I’m not surprised at all. They are sick, cruel individuals! They were shoplifting at Walmart when she was pregnant! they’re trash. I hope they get locked up so they can rot for what they did to that poor baby.

  9. Hearing is today, any updates as to the condition of this poor baby, and the hearing results of the parents??

  10. She didnt kill her child she had an obligation to go to her job to support her family and child shes innocent thats why she was let go. Stop saying the system is [removed], its not true she was let go because she didnt hurt the [removed] kid. Yes her husband did drugs and she left, but what is she going to do, shes a new mother and has to work to support her baby. Yes while it was a mistake, a very grave mistake in fact, you people dont get the whole picture and are just going with the crowd. You are in fact not related to the family for know these two people you are in no way to judge. Damn

    • Just so you’re aware, she was let go of the company as soon as this news broke. She should be in jail. It was her job to protect that baby and even after the fact, continued to standby the husband after the baby was obviously abused.

        • Seriously? She works for a company that does CRIMINAL background checks and DRUG screening and she wasn’t fired? How is that company still in business? ?

          • what do you mean? It’s called innocent until proven guilty. Our fore father’s fought for an idealism of justice. Don’t
            Preach or judge when you don’t know more than what you read in a sensationalized article.

          • She must be on “administrative leave” pending investigation…. LOL
            They’re probably still in business because everyone that works for that company is in fear of losing their jobs or some type of retaliation, so they keep their mouths shut.
            In the meantime they have a criminal on their books, Awesome!
            Now that’s a company I want to give personal identifying information to!! *sarcasm*

          • The Company is probably a Union House. It takes an act of God to fire someone AND documentation for months and months. If they fire her before she is found guilty, she will sue them. Maybe, even if she is found guilty and goes to jail, she’ll sue to get a wrongful termination judgement. It surely isn’t written in Employee Rules, (specifically) that she can’t contribute to, or participate in, the death of her child.

          • Innocent until proven guilty. You all just prove and embody the ignorance for the law and the foundation of what our country is founded on…Justice. Clearly there is more to this story and situation then what is said in the article. I give a big applause for this company backing her it clearly shows that her character isn’t of a poor nature like the news wrote about. That takes balls.

  11. Thanks for the informative article. Now I know where they live…. now they will pay….

    • That must be your ass talking because your brain can’t be stupid enough to have actually posted that threat on a public forum.

    • Not a good attitude, Target Practice, not a good attitude at all. You do not know what the final outcome is here nor do you know the full details.

      You only know what you’ve read in the papers. Take it easy or you will be the one with a headline.

  12. The mother is totally responsible for her child and knowing her husband uses drugs, she should have not left her infant with him while she went to work. It states that the husband admitted to using in the morning and that she was home at that time. She is not an idiot and is clueless to what he does. He has a history with meth.

    And Mike C., the A.V. was (and probably still is) the capital of meth and it’s had that title long before all these people from down below moved up here. Sorry but meth has be manufactured, distributed and used/abused by the white man. Since the early 80’s, meth came from the A.V. and from white folk. And if you’re native to the area, you’re an idiot if you have no knowledge of meth in the A.V.

  13. Why is everyone so quick to judge. The Newspapers and TV reporters need to sensationalize to sell papers and draw in viewers. They don’t sit in court to hear the truth. They get their information from the District Attorney who leaks information. He is reporting misinformation and doesn’t even have legitimate documentation to make his case. He’s just trying to make a name for himself, typical politician. I thought the Judicial System was based on truth not innuendo and lies. The District Attorney is a political whore. His dream is to hold public office. Poor guy he lost in the last election. What happen to the Ethics code he agreed to, when he became a lawyer. Everyone who lives in the AV better watch out because if you ever do anything wrong they will add all kinds of charges unrelated to the actual evidence, in an attempt to scare you into making a plea deal. He is just trying to increase his numbers for the next time he runs. The people in Santa Clarita know exactly what kind of person he is and that’s why he wasn’t elected. It’s my understanding that there isn’t “Any” evidence of “Any” child abuse, and the baby is not in critical condition and hasn’t been for weeks, and is making progress. Why didn’t he report that?

  14. This woman had nothing to do with what’s happened here. This is a terrible thing to happen to a child and I hope and pray that the kid somehow pulls through. But her husband is obviously the guilty one here not her. She was at work when all of this took place. If a woman has an alcoholic husband and goes to work because her husband won’t go to work, is that woman guilty of a crime her husband commits while she’s at work? No she isn’t. If a man goes to work and his pill popping wife commits a crime is he guilty of that crime too just because he knew his wife took pills? No he isn’t. The only person that deserves to be in jail for what’s happened to this kid is the dad. That is unless the mom knew the dad was abusing the child already. Wives or husbands should not be held accountable for crimes that their spouses commit just because that person happens to being in a relationship with the person that commits a crime. If a lady goes to work while her meth head husband stays home but goes out and commits a burglary later that day is that lady guilty or should she be arrested for burglary because she new her husband was a meth head? No sh shouldn’t be.

    • Would you leave your kid with someone who was on drugs? The crime he commited was against her own child who she should take responsibility for. She should have made sure her child was left with someone capable of taking care of the child!!!

      • I don’t even know this woman. She went to work just like she had been doing on a regular basis for who knows how long to help support her family. Obviously her husband had never done anything like this before so how was she to know. Apparently he’s been strung out on drugs for years but because his sick a__ does something like this all of a sudden you think she’s responsible for the same crime he’s been arrested for? Give me a break. Let’s say that this never happened. And let’s say she went to work to help support her family because her lousy ass husband wasn’t able to do it because he’s all strung out. But the kid is just fine when she gets home from work on payday with a paycheck. Is she still guilty of a crime like you seem to think. Someone had to do whatever they had to do to make sure this kid was fed and whatever else needs of his were met so the mom went to work every day to help make that happen. She shouldn’t be charged for something her scumbag husband did. If your husband walks out of your house drunk when you are at work because you want to help support your family as a parent, and while your at work he gets in a car wreck and kills someone, should you be arrested for his actions? I don’t think so. This is the United States where people have rights. It’s sad that this happened to this little boy and I hope and pray that he pulls through but this woman should not be charged with a crime that the dad committed.

        • Mike C: This was NOT a one time event. THEY (both ) were caught stealing PAINT THINNER (used to manufacture meth) from Walmart when the baby was only a month old. She lied to the cops then. She told them she was unemployed (of course someone unemployed has need for paint thinner) while shew as actually on maternity leave. She KNEW her husband abused AND SOLD meth from their home. She knew about his lifestyle, who would be “visiting” and his past transgressions. She was NOT innocent. She is not clean or sober herself.He is scum, but not alone – THEY, together, are scum. The thought of her throwing everything onto him while she plays ignorant and walks away disgusts me

      • If your husband was drunk and you had to go to work and while you were at work he killed someone in a car wreck and was charged with murder, should you be charged with murder because you knew he was drunk before you left for work. No you shouldn’t be. It’s the same thing here.

        • If your husband was drunk would you put the baby in he car so he could drive around with him? No of course not you would know better. Same thing he was high she knew and left the baby with him. Now should she do a long time maybe not. The grief of knowing that you could have prevented what happened by protecting your child just may be enough.

    • We are not talking about a burglary, car jacking or a DUI. We are talking about a child that may lose his life due to stupidity and ignorance. As a parent it is YOUR responsibility to care for and protect YOUR child!!! She knew he was loaded and left the baby there anyways. YES she is responsible! She should have made different arrangements for the child care that day and clearly SHE DID NOT!!!!

  15. What’s everyone surprised about? We live in a liberal society where the criminal has more rights than the victim. Just another liberal judge being just that……………..a liberal.

    • Bob, the Antelope Valley neo-nazi, isn’t happy enough with the world class level of incarceration in the United States. Please Bob, do us all a favor and stay in A.V. where you belong. “Land of the free”, indeed.

    • We’re surprised you still live in California, Bob.

      Here’s what you do.

      Load up yer guns, yer bible and all your junk into a U-Haul, head south to the I-10 and turn left.

      Proceed east to Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida or wherever there are your own kind, y’know, morons.

      Pick out a nice trailer and stake you claim. Wear you gun on yer holster and marry a relative. You’ll be much happier.

      Don’t worry. California tax payers will subsidize you in most of those red states.

      Your’re not happy. You don’t belong here. What’s holding you back?

      • William, Why is it that anyone that doesn’t agree with your liberal ideas is a gun toten bible reading trailer trash? The liberals are the ones who make excuses for every bad behavior in the world. There is always an excuse for everything, death doesn’t matter to liberals he didn’t mean to be stupid and drive drunk. In the land of liberals anything goes.

        • William always uses the gun toten, Bible carrying, trailer trash comment because his thought process is stunted. He even uses the ‘you people’ comment. He is a negative nabob. William also generalizes everything; like all Christians are bad, all Republicans are bad, Lancaster citizens are bad, and then of course there are ALL the people that comment. That’s just William.

        • Not everyone, but Bob is “as described” by William. Read all his BS postings, talk about a CRACKER JACK.

        • @Don’t drink & drive

          Did you realize that you UNWITTINGly, the emphasis is on the ‘unwitting’, accused me of a generalization followed by you

          MAKING A GIANT GENERALIZATION yourself just like your twin, bob?

          You lose. Share the U-Haul rental with bob and save some money as you exit ‘librul’ California. California’s IQ will go up noticeably when you 2 depart.

          Goodbye.

          • Not only are you a bully, but you are an old bully! The way you treat other commenters is truly ugly. Go take some Metamucil and a nap.

          • @moll flanders

            What an amazingly arrogant statement to make!

            Hey, bob and the other one, you now have a back seat driver for your U-Haul, moll flanders ‘the town scold’.

            Have you seen the BMW SUV commerical with the old hag in the 3rd seat? It’s moll.

            Where did ‘bird’ go, moll?

          • Hey, moll. Dontcha have a broom sliver to remove from yer hind quarters?

            Ya got Irritable Buns Syndrome again.

          • Crazy Willie, you are so ignorant. I believe you are the one with the lowest IQ. After all isn’t that a requirement to be an empty headed,make excuses, redistribute the wealth Liberal anything goes cronie. Have a great day!

          • Hey, Don’t drink & drive

            You deserve a little treat fer yer recent comment.

            Here, pick one out of the litter box. moll flanders told me you love ’em.

          • Why do ‘bird’, ‘moll flanders’ and ‘don’t drink & drive’ all sound like the same person?

            Is there only 1 widdle brain in the conservative alternate universe that y’all take turns sharing?

            It’s nice that y’all share……with each other. No one else wants to get near ya.

            Studies have shown that conservative brains have larger amygdalas, the part of the brain that controls fear and emotional responses. fox ‘news’ relies on that to sell ‘fear’. Its audience is trained to fear everything from ebola to voting by minorities and, of course, ‘facts’.

            BOO!

            Now, change yer shorts and get back to work.

    • Bob, please go wash your sheets, it is nice and sunny outside and they will be extra white and crispy for your cross burning event tonight. Pendejo.

  16. To many babies and young children have died at the hands of those who should be protecting them because of drugs. When will the justice system step in and protect when the parents obviously can’t When will they step up the fight on drugs in the AV. When will the number of children dying be to many so they will finally take action. If you ask me one is to many. RIP all those beautiful little children the Antelope Valley has lost.

  17. This is [removed] if they ass was a minority couple their bail would have been a million or more with no chance of OR. These court system in the AV are prejudice and biased toward certain groups of individuals and needs to be thoroughly investigated and brought up on charges of misuse of justice.

    • Please take your SJW whining back to tumblr. Both of these pieces of crap deserve to be in prison, just like ANYONE that puts a child in this position regardless of their race.

    • You need to be brought up on charges of misuse of the English language. ..

  19. Their stupid tweaker faces are posted all over Facebook. I hope the mother does not get away with anything!!! As a mother to two precious little ones I can’t imagine leaving my babies with a POS tweaker! The judge needs to really take that I to account that they are meth users and most likely mishandled the poor baby in a tweaked out stupor. Makes me sad how so many innocent children are being mistreated or killed in the Antelope Valley alone. God bless that poor little baby. I wish I can hug and kiss him like I do to my children…

  21. This story make me want to vomit. God Bless the little angel and may his so-called parents rot in jail. I cannot believe the judge is OK with a mother leaving her infant with a junkie.

  22. This is B.S. where is the justice?? As a mother it is YOUR job to protect your child. She went to work knowing her husband was high and left that baby there anyways!!! Look at poor Gabriel, the mothers take no responsibility!!!!! This makes me sick to my stomach, how many more cases of awful child abuse do we have to hear about out here before the mothers are held accountable??????