JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – A Joplin man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for
the abuse of his 8-week-old son that left the child legally blind and unable to
eat or drink.
The Joplin Globe reports Jasper County Circuit Judge Gayle Crane sentenced
32-year-old Earl Clark on Monday. Clark pleaded guilty to child abuse in a plea
deal for the injuries inflicted on his son, Sebastian.
Emergency medical help was summoned to Clark’s residence in September 2017 for
a baby suffering seizures and respiratory distress. An affidavit says Sebastian
showed signs of abusive head trauma and was later found to have extensive brain
bleeding and other injuries.
An affidavit says Clark admitted that he dropped and shook his son.
Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Fisher says Sebastian is expected to survive but
won’t be able to eat or drink on his own.
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