LIVERMORE — A San Mateo County sheriff’s deputy is seeking mental health diversion amid allegations that he choked and dragged by the ear his 5-year-old son when he became angry with the child, according to authorities and court records.
The suspect, Steven Romero, 34, is free on $100,000 bail after being charged with corporal injury to a child in March. He has since pleaded not guilty.
If the diversion motion is granted at a Sept. 15 hearing and Romero successfully completes the requirements, the charge will be dismissed, authorities said.
A June 11 letter from a doctor that is in the court records says Romero has been under care since June 8 for a diagnosis of alcohol and marijuana abuse as well as depression and post-traumatic stress, according to court records. It was not clear if the care is continuing.
Attempts by this news outlet to reach Romero’s attorney this week were not successful.
Gretchen Spiker, director of communications for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said Romero, a deputy since 2016, has been on leave since April 2025.
According to the State of California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Peace Officer Certification Actions, Romero’s law enforcement certification has also been on temporary suspension since Sept. 2 for acts that violate the law.
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Spiker said that during Romero’s leave, the sheriff’s office was notified of the criminal case. She said in addition to the criminal investigation, the Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal administrative investigation.
According to court records, the alleged abuse happened March 8 at Romero’s Livermore home, where the boy was in the care of him and his stepmother.
The records say that when the boy did not eat his breakfast in an allotted 15 minute time limit, Romero punished him by forcing him to jump rope. When Romero thought the boy was not jumping rope fast enough, he allegedly “choked him multiple times by his mouth and neck and then dragged (him) into his room by his ear,” the records say.
The ear-dragging led to bruising and the boy was taken to a hospital for treatment, where the attending doctor concluded the injuries were consistent with physical abuse, the records say.
After a Livermore police investigation, Romero was formally charged April 28, subsequently arrested and posted bail.
Staff writers Jakob Rodgers and Caelyn Pender contributed to this report.
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