Man indicted after allegedly strangling 5-year-old son in Riverdale store

OGDEN, Utah — A Weber County grand jury indicted a man for child abuse after reportedly lifted his 5-year-old son by the neck from a shopping cart.

Eric Cecil Baron, 37 of Roy faces one felony count of child abuse, according to the indictment filed earlier this month.

The document said a shopper saw a father strangle a child who was sitting in a cart at a Target store in Riverdale on Dec. 4, 2021.

“The shopper described the child was unable to cry or make noise during the strangling incident and observed that after the father let the child go the child began to cry, but seemed like he could not breathe,” the document said.

A Riverdale police officer responded. “The officer obtained surveillance footage which captured the strangling incident where you see the father abruptly grab the child around the neck and lift him up, lasting approximately 5 seconds before letting him go,” the indictment said.

“Police spoke with Eric (Baron) who acknowledged being at Target on that night with O.B. and his other son and that he was frustrated with O.B. that night but did not recall the strangling incident,” the document said.

The indictment did not say if the child suffered any serious injuries.

Baron has a court date scheduled for May 5.