Man given sentence of up to 5 years in prison for child abuse
Police say girl's hands had 50 cuts, 12 broken bones
She then went on to sentence one of the two adults involved to prison.
Derrick Lee Crispin, 30, was sentenced to up to five years in prison for child abuse/neglect and obstruction of justice, both third-degree felonies. McCleve ordered that the sentences run concurrently and gave Crispin credit for time served.
Police reports said the child had 50 cuts on both hands, seven broken bones in her left hand and five broken bones in her right hand, and severe swelling and irritation of both eyes that made doctors fear for her eyesight.
Prosecutor Angela Micklos later said the girl is now with her biological father and her eyesight is fine, but she has scarring on her hands, and no one knows what psychological effects might emerge in the future.
The injuries occurred in January at the condominium that Crispin shared with the child's mother, Amy Ellen Roberts, 31, near 800 East and 3950 South.
Roberts was sentenced last month to a year in jail after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony, and class A misdemeanor child abuse/neglect.
Crispin's lawyer, Earl Xaiz, told the judge that both adults were involved in trying to get pus out of swelling in the girl's hands that resulted in her injuries and he asked that Crispin receive a jail sentence like the one McCleve gave Roberts.
Xaiz said he was not making excuses for his client but noted that Crispin's doctor had prescribed 30 milligrams of OxyContin to be taken three times daily, in addition to 3 milligrams of Percocet and another medication.
"When one reads all the police reports and medical reports, one wonders, 'Why, why, why? What could they be thinking?"' Xaiz said. "I believe Mr. Crispin was in a fog."
Xaiz said the two adults had taken the girl to the hospital previously and there were suggestions the child had cellulitis, or an infection in the skin tissue.
The mother had held the child's hands while Crispin tried to suck the pus out, Xaiz said. They then put iodine on the girl's hands, she touched her eyes and iodine got into her eyes.
"I am sorry," Crispin said. "I made some really bad decisions. I wish (the child) could be here so I could say I'm sorry to her. I miss her. It wasn't intentional and I should have known better than to try to play doctor."
McCleve said she felt bad for the child, the situation and Crispin, but "every time I read what happened, it just sounds like torture." The judge said she could not see why anyone would continue behavior that resulted in injuries like those the child endured.
E-mail: lindat@desnews.com
Recent comments
i say hes guilty but theoxycontin could have put him in a daize and...
killa | Jan. 7, 2009 at 8:14 a.m.
- Luxury home market stalls 12:02 p.m.
- Kirk Douglas classic on DVD 11:38 a.m.
- Zion fire moving southeast 11:36 a.m.
- More school-money than expected 11:24 a.m.
- Virginia 'Freedman's' project done 11:12 a.m.
- Teen relive Mormon trek 11:12 a.m.
- Oldest American to scale Mount Everest 11:07 a.m.
- Knicks sign first-round pick 10:59 a.m.
- Armstrong third, Leipheimer fourthe 10:58 a.m.
- 6.0 quake in China 10:43 a.m.
- Jazz brass debate Millsap match
- LDS seminary principal arrested
- 2 men cited on LDS plaza
- Jazz finances not quite so bleak
- HBO defends U. logo use in 'Love'
- Reactions on Boozer speculation
- Cash for Clunkers to get rolling soon
- Utahns among Texans' investors
- Man spots his stolen car
- Jazz rookies quiet Thunder youngsters
- LDS seminary principal arrested
261 - Jazz brass debate Millsap match
168 - Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
141 - Jazz talking Boozer trade?
140 - 2 men cited on LDS plaza
127 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
124 - Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
99 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
76 - Letters: Single-payer system best
75
As more and more dads are put out of work in this economy, I've been...
The photographs are mysterious, brooding, dark. They show dimples and...
Guess what?!! The rest of the world thinks MORMONS ARE NOT MORAL!!!
@If I were Obama | 7:25 a.m. So funny. LMAO with this comment. Just...
"Fight the Power" is trying to make a civil rights analogy here that...
To imply that seniority is any substitute for effort under Jerry Sloan is...
Both for us fans and Jazz management. Millie was a great 2nd round pick,...
Like so many laws suits, Utah will loose. This use isn't any violation of...
"The Sutherland institute study shows that 96% of the immigrants lead crime...
continued: But most important, her gaffes reveal one who is woefully lacking...
suffers from a terrible case of 'god complex' wherein he thinks he is god the...
Biden or Sarah Palin? Looking at a catalogue of Biden’s gaffes, one is...

