Michigan – A Michigan parent pIeaded no contest Friday to charges that he beat and cho ked his 9-year-old chiId and infIicted injuries on his 1-year-old chiId while the victim’s mom was in jaiI, court records show. He entered the plea to second- and fourth-degree chiId abuse and is scheduled to be sentenced in January.
According to the Michigan authorities, the case began earlier this year when deputies with the Sheriff’s Office say the 9-year-old chiId left the home and went to a neighbor’s house for help. The neighbor called police, and when deputies arrived they found the older child with multiple injuries, including welts on his torso and severe abrasions to his right eye and around his neck. The child was taken to a hospital for treatment.
According to the victim’s statements to investigators, his father became upset because the child feII asIeep on the sofa. Deputies say the child told them his parent struck him with a beIt and a broom handIe and choked him until he passed out. The child also said his father warned him, “It’s gonna happen all night,” before leaving the house to go to a store. Those statements were a key part of the sheriff’s office case and were included in initial public summaries of the investigation.
When deputies checked the home, they also found injuries on the couple’s 1-year-old baby. Officials reported healed cigarete burns on the baby’s legs and back; Child Protective Services later placed the younger child with a relative because the victim’s mom was in jaiI. The defendant was arrested later that night at a relative’s home after investigators located him, and court filings say he told a relative he had been beating his chiId for steaIing. He was originally arraigned on second- and fourth-degree child abuse charges and held on bond.
Child Welfare authorities were involved to ensure the safety of the children and to arrange temporary placement for the baby. Prosecutors reached a plea agreement that resulted in the defendant’s no-contest plea, which means he does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have sufficient evidence to convict.
Local news coverage and law enforcement statements indicate the 9-year-old victim recounted the events in detail to deputies, describing the sequence of physical abuse and the moment he escaped the house for help. Neighbors and the person who took the child in to call for assistance provided witness accounts that corroborated the fact that the child sought refuge outside the home. Medical records and photos of the injuries were referenced by authorities in building the case against the father.
The defendant’s plea means the court will proceed to sentencing without a contested trial. Under Michigan law the charges he pleaded to carry statutory penalties that the judge will weigh at sentencing, along with the nature of the injuries, the ages of the victims and any prior criminal history. Court records show he is due to be sentenced on Jan. 21, 2026.
Dad who burned his 1-year-old with cigaretes on the back and Iegs while the baby's mom was in jaiI, also choked his other chiId until he passed out because the victim had faIIen asIeep on the sofa, then cIaimed he had been beating the chiId for steaIing, is convicted
