A Willcox man who had his right leg amputated to the knee last year while in the Cochise County jail is expected to stand trial next year in two counties on multiple child sexual abuse charges, although court records show no trial dates have been announced yet.
Andres Romero is scheduled for a Jan. 26 status conference at the Pima County Superior Court where he is charged with eight felonies involving sexual abuse and sexual conduct with a minor under age 15. The offenses allegedly occurred between 2007 and 2010.
Romero, 73, is also slated to appear before Judge Laura Cardinal of the Cochise County Superior Court on March 1 for a pretrial conference on charges involving sexual abuse and child pornography. Those offenses are alleged to have occurred in 2010 and 2011 with the same minor named in the Pima County case.
Unless plea deals are worked out soon, Romero is not expected to stand trial in either case until mid-2021. Arizona’s criminal code would result in a life sentence if Romero is convicted of all charges in both counties.
In the meantime, Romero is also waiting for a trial date to be set in the federal lawsuit he filed against Cochise County stemming from the amputation.
According to court records, Romero was ordered held in jail on $100,000 bail after being arrested in Willcox in June 2019. He claims that a few weeks later a shower knob fell on his right foot, leading to an open infection.
Over the next few months Romero underwent three surgical procedures, which started with the removal of a toe, then his right foot, and finally his leg at the knee.
Then in October 2019, Romero was ordered released from custody on his own recognizance due to his need for extensive medical care. He later filed a $2.5 million notice of claim against Cochise County and Sheriff Mark Dannels due to the in-custody medical treatment he received.
The lawsuit alleges Romero lost his leg “as a result of the neglect and or conscious disregard” by county health department staff and sheriff’s employees. Cochise County is being represented in the case by its risk management provider.
County officials have released few documents related to Romeo’s time in jail, although detention reports from three of the more than 120 days Romero was in jail have been obtained by Arizona Daily Independent.
A July 26, 2019 report was prepared a few days after Romero says he suffered the toe injury in the shower. It makes no mention of a foot injury, but suggests Romero was “faking” a medical issue.
“As I approached the cell I noticed (Romero) was lying on the ground and his cellmate..,began to tell me inmate Romero had fallen and needed medical attention,” the report states. It also notes Romero did not respond to officers who entered his cell “and appeared to be unconscious.”
However, a detention sergeant noted Romero reacted to an ammonia stick and was soon standing. The report does not mention whether medical personnel were called to examine Romero.