A father was sentenced to serve time behind bars after allegedly hitting a 6-month-old infant in the face during a physical fight with the child’s mother.
Back in December, Avery Mapes, 23, was arrested by Toledo police for allegedly physically attacking his fiancée and his baby, who had been cradled in her arms at the time of the altercation. He was subsequently charged with assault, endangering children, domestic violence, obstruction and disorderly conduct/public intoxication.
Following the incident, his fiancée displayed “several marks and bruises” on her body and police reportedly found “bloody handprints” on the back of her sweatshirt. The child had “multiple red marks and bruising,” per court documents as reported by Law & Crime.
“The defendant did knowingly cause physical harm to the Victim, his live-in fiancé, the mother of his child. The defendant was intoxicated and ran at the Victim, attempting to strike her,” the probable cause statement read. “This did occur in Lucas County, in the city of Toledo. The victim and this officer [are] the source of the information.”
The couple went to the hospital with their baby after the incident, where Mapes allegedly “became enraged,” yelled out “racial slurs” and “attempted to bite” officers several times. He also allegedly attempted to “kick and strike” employees at the hospital.
Mapes originally pleaded not guilty but later changed his plea to “no contest” to the endangering children charge. As a result, his assault, obstruction and disorderly conduct charges were dismissed, and his domestic violence charge was amended to negligent assault.
A judge ordered him to serve only 60 days behind bars, as well as one year of probation.
According to Ohio state child endangerment laws, no person who is a parent, guardian, or otherwise has control of a child under the age of 18 years old is allowed to abuse, torture, administer corporal punishment or other disciplinary manners in a “cruel manner or for a prolonged period” or “repeatedly administer unwarranted disciplinary measures to the child, when there is a substantial risk that such conduct, if continued” could “impair” or slow a child’s development.
An Ohio law firm reports that a first offense for such a crime is considered a first-degree misdemeanor, and consequences can include “up to 6 months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.” Penalties may increase based on how many prior convictions the person has.
Negligent assault is considered a third-degree misdemeanor and is defined as someone who “by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordinance as defined in [Ohio state law], cause physical harm to another or to another’s unborn.” It is punishable by up to 60 days in jail.
This means that Mapes could have theoretically received a much steeper sentence than he did.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
