A 25-year-old father from Dove Creek faces up to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to felony child abuse last week.
On Thursday, May 21, District Court Judge Todd Plewe tentatively accepted the conditions of a plea deal, which called for Cody Barr to plead guilty to child abuse causing serious bodily injury with criminal negligence. The recommended punishment includes a cap of eight years in prison followed by three years of parole.
District Attorney Will Furse said the plea deal was offered because prosecutors faced a difficult task of proving the suspect’s mental state. There were no witnesses to the child abuse, Furse said.
Appearing in custody, Barr became emotional as the judge described the nature of the allegations and what prosecutors would have to prove at trial. He was ordered held without bail until sentencing on July 23.
Charged as a habitual offender, Barr initially faced three counts of child abuse in connection to incidents that occurred during a two-month span last summer. Court records reveal the alleged victim was only 10 weeks old when doctors discovered multiple arm, leg and foot fractures along with healing rib fractures.
Medical officials reported that the infant, now a year old, suffered a total of 17 fractures, including two skull injuries. The child also suffered both spleen and liver lacerations and genital bruising.
Court records further reveal that the “non-accidental trauma” injuries weren’t the result of a single incident, despite claims from Barr that he accidently dropped the baby, his son, in the bathroom at a local hotel.
According to police, several weeks passed before Barr sought medical treatment. Once at Southwest Memorial Hospital, the infant was airlifted to a Denver children’s hospital, court records reveal.
