A Franklin mother was sentenced to more than eight years on probation and a protective order was issued for her son after she pleaded guilty to battery and neglect.
Krystle N. Case, 32, pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent and battery with serious bodily injury, both felony charges.
She was sentenced to time served, after spending nearly a year in jail, and another eight years on probation. Her son will turn 18 before she is allowed to contact him under the rules of her sentence, deputy prosecutor Ryan Bland said. Case’s attorney, James MacAbee, declined to comment on the case.
Case was arrested last year after bringing her then 9-year-old son to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office for a welfare check when a school worker told police she thought something might be wrong.
The boy’s face was bruised, blood vessels in his eyes were broken and his eyes were partially shut and drooping. He had dried blood and drainage coming from both ears and was laying in the fetal position in the lobby of the sheriff’s office, according to police reports.
When a sheriff’s deputy tried to speak to the boy, he was disoriented, couldn’t speak clearly and cried out asking for food, the affidavit said. He was unable to walk on his own when he was taken to the hospital, and couldn’t tell doctors about his level of pain due to his mental state, the affidavit said.
The boy has since made a full recovery, Bland said.
Case initially told investigators that her son had injured himself during two seizures. She later said that she couldn’t handle his behavior and that he reminded her of his father, who is her ex-husband. She had been mad and lost control and hit him repeatedly, then kept him home from school due to his visible injuries, she told police at the time. A medical report confirmed injuries from trauma and abuse, and multiple untreated injuries and medical issues.
During the investigation, Case repeatedly said she wanted to turn her son over to the state because she couldn’t handle his behavior, according to court documents.
