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Faithful come to King’s for Ash Wednesday services

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Waller Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre to close Thursday for repairs

<p>HAZLE TWP. &#8212; A 5-month-old boy who suffered severe brain damage in 2011 due to abuse at the hands of his mother required &#8220;around the clock medical treatment&#8221; until he died nearly six years later, court papers say.</p><p>Now, Andrea Lynn Vargas, formerly of West Hazleton, is charged with criminal homicide for the boy&#8217;s death in January 2017.</p><p>Vargas is accused of pulling Nazeiah Robles from his crib and violently shaking him after he had been crying for a long period of time.</p><p>His injuries included skull fractures, subdural hematomas, and arm, leg and rib fractures, authorities report. The child never recovered from his extensive injuries and remained alive in subsequent years through the help of a feeding tube and a respirator.</p><p>Vargas was initially charged in February 2011 with aggravated assault, child endangerment and reckless endangerment. She was sentenced to five to 10 years in state prison after she entered a no contest plea &#8212; meaning she did not challenge the evidence against her.</p><p>The 30-year-old was released from state prison on parole last January &#8212; a year after the boy died &#8212; and was then charged with homicide in October.</p><p>She appeared before Hazle Township District Judge James Dixon on Wednesday to waive her preliminary hearing on the homicide count, signing paperwork with her hands handcuffed in front of her.</p><p>&#8220;It was nice actually seeing outside,&#8221; Vargas said of her trip to the Hazleton area from the Luzerne County jail. She has been locked up without bail since October.</p><p>Despite the homicide charge being sent to county court, Vargas doesn&#8217;t appear to be headed to trial.</p><p>Prosecutor Jarrett Ferentino said he&#8217;s been in steady contact with Vargas&#8217; defense attorney, Colin Hueston of Philadelphia.</p><p>Ferentino said in court the DA&#8217;s office was hoping to resolve the case &#8220;sooner rather than later.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re in resolution discussions,&#8221; the prosecutor said later. &#8220;This is a difficult case obviously because it involves a child. And the case has quite an extended history through our court system.&#8221;</p><p>He noted that he would be seeking additional prison time for Vargas, who now lists a Philadelphia address in court filings.</p><p>She was returned to prison after Wednesday&#8217;s brief proceeding.</p><p><strong>&#8216;I didn&#8217;t do it hard&#8217;</strong></p><p>Police were called to Vargas&#8217; home on Tamarack Street in West Hazleton on Feb. 3, 2011, for an infant who was unresponsive and not breathing.</p><p>Initially, Vargas explained the fractures found on the boy by saying she had dropped him about two months prior, court papers say.</p><p>When told about the skull fractures and other injuries, authorities said she began crying and admitted shaking him several weeks prior.</p><p>She allegedly told them: &#8220;I swear I didn&#8217;t do it hard. It was just one time. I didn&#8217;t think I would hurt him. Now my baby is going to be taken away.&#8221;</p><p>At a prior court proceeding in May 2011, Dr. John Van Brakle, chief of pediatrics at Lehigh Valley Hospital near Allentown, testified the infant had limited, if any, brain activity.</p><p>In the later months of 2016, Nazeiah developed medical issues as a result of being violently shaken that ultimately led to his death at Hershey Medical Center, authorities report.</p><p>An autopsy was performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Gary Ross on Jan. 19, 2017, and samples were sent to the University of Virginia.</p><p>When test results were returned, Ross ruled Nazeiah&#8217;s death a homicide.</p><p>He noted: &#8220;Death is due to profound neurological dysfunction due to massive blunt cerebral trauma.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Vargas  Andrea Lynn Vargas, formerly of West Hazleton, is led into district court in Hazle Township on Wednesday. She is accused of homicide in the death of her son. Police say she violently shook the boy in 2011, leading to severe brain damage. The child died nearly six years later. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_VargasPerpWalk.cmyk_-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Vargas  Andrea Lynn Vargas, formerly of West Hazleton, is led into district court in Hazle Township on Wednesday. She is accused of homicide in the death of her son. Police say she violently shook the boy in 2011, leading to severe brain damage. The child died nearly six years later. </caption0><photoCredit0>Michael Reich | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis and Michael Reich</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p><p>mreich@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Ex-West Hazleton woman waives homicide hearing in baby-shaking case