Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have arrested and charged a Smith County man accused of abusing a four-year-old child. At the request of 15^th District Attorney General Tom Thompson, TBI agents began investigating the cause of severe injuries the child sustained at her home, which ultimately required hospitalization at The Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that 20-year-old Ralph Mendez of Chestnut Mound, the boyfriend of the child’s mother, was directly responsible for causing the injuries. Agents arrested Mendez yesterday (Thursday, August 17, 2017) and charged him with one count of aggravated child abuse. Mendez was transported to the Smith County Jail and placed on $100,000 bond.