Mom in child abuse case pleads guilty
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
June 28, 2016
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/mom-in-child-abuse-case-pleads-guilty/article_9893abc6-5b0e-11e7-9af2-10604b9f0f42.html
A West Paducah woman charged with severely abusing her 2-year-old son agreed to a plea deal Monday in McCracken Circuit Court, admitting to her part in the abuse.
Taylor Sloan, 21, appeared for a pretrial conference. She pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal abuse, amended from first degree, second-degree wanton endangerment, and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, misdemeanors. A first-degree assault charge was dismissed.
Sloan's live-in boyfriend and co-defendant, Jarell Hardin, 25, who faces the same original charges as Sloan, plus a count of tampering with physical evidence, is scheduled for an Aug. 8 trial. It's expected to last five days.
The charges stem from a nearly month-long investigation that began in May 2015 following a report of possible child abuse from Kentucky Health and Family Services.
McCracken Detective Capt. Matt Carter said a 28-month-old boy was taken to an area hospital with multiple injuries, prompting doctors to alert Family Services.
Due to the severity, the child was transferred to an out-of-state hospital.
Doctors at the hospital considered the number and severity of the injuries and determined the boy had endured "severe child abuse," the sheriff's department reported.
After further investigation, warrants were issued for Hardin and Sloan's arrests, and the couple turned themselves in.
During an Aug. 28 bond hearing, Carter testified the toddler "sustained broken bones from head to toe," which included skull fractures and brain bleeds, as well as fractures to both arms, broken ribs, a broken femur and a laceration to his lip that required sutures.
Carter said doctors found evidence of healed fractures that may indicate previous abuse.
In court Monday, Sloan stood with her attorney, Jeremy Ian Smith, before Circuit Judge Tim Kaltenbach and sobbed as she entered her plea, admitting to subjecting her son to severe physical abuse that caused significant injuries.
The commonwealth recommended a sentence of five years in prison on the abuse charge, 45 days for the marijuana charge, and 12 months each for the drug paraphernalia and wanton endangerment offenses, all to run concurrently.
A sentencing hearing for Sloan has been scheduled for Sept. 9.
As part of her plea agreement, Sloan is required to testify against Hardin.
Commonwealth Attorney Zac Greenwell, who was appointed to the case as a special prosecutor, said his office will be meeting with Sloan before trial to conduct a formal interview.
Noting no plea agreement has been reached in his client's case, Hardin's attorney, Doug Moore, told the court the offer his client received from the commonwealth included "substantially greater" punishment.
Greenwell countered that Hardin played a more significant role in the abuse.
Moore said he has several motions he intends to file in the next few weeks and requested a hearing be scheduled to address them.
Kaltenbach scheduled the hearing for July 25.
Taylor Sloan, 21, appeared for a pretrial conference. She pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal abuse, amended from first degree, second-degree wanton endangerment, and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, misdemeanors. A first-degree assault charge was dismissed.
Sloan's live-in boyfriend and co-defendant, Jarell Hardin, 25, who faces the same original charges as Sloan, plus a count of tampering with physical evidence, is scheduled for an Aug. 8 trial. It's expected to last five days.
The charges stem from a nearly month-long investigation that began in May 2015 following a report of possible child abuse from Kentucky Health and Family Services.
McCracken Detective Capt. Matt Carter said a 28-month-old boy was taken to an area hospital with multiple injuries, prompting doctors to alert Family Services.
Due to the severity, the child was transferred to an out-of-state hospital.
Doctors at the hospital considered the number and severity of the injuries and determined the boy had endured "severe child abuse," the sheriff's department reported.
After further investigation, warrants were issued for Hardin and Sloan's arrests, and the couple turned themselves in.
During an Aug. 28 bond hearing, Carter testified the toddler "sustained broken bones from head to toe," which included skull fractures and brain bleeds, as well as fractures to both arms, broken ribs, a broken femur and a laceration to his lip that required sutures.
Carter said doctors found evidence of healed fractures that may indicate previous abuse.
In court Monday, Sloan stood with her attorney, Jeremy Ian Smith, before Circuit Judge Tim Kaltenbach and sobbed as she entered her plea, admitting to subjecting her son to severe physical abuse that caused significant injuries.
The commonwealth recommended a sentence of five years in prison on the abuse charge, 45 days for the marijuana charge, and 12 months each for the drug paraphernalia and wanton endangerment offenses, all to run concurrently.
A sentencing hearing for Sloan has been scheduled for Sept. 9.
As part of her plea agreement, Sloan is required to testify against Hardin.
Commonwealth Attorney Zac Greenwell, who was appointed to the case as a special prosecutor, said his office will be meeting with Sloan before trial to conduct a formal interview.
Noting no plea agreement has been reached in his client's case, Hardin's attorney, Doug Moore, told the court the offer his client received from the commonwealth included "substantially greater" punishment.
Greenwell countered that Hardin played a more significant role in the abuse.
Moore said he has several motions he intends to file in the next few weeks and requested a hearing be scheduled to address them.
Kaltenbach scheduled the hearing for July 25.
