A Cuyahoga Falls man tearfully denied hurting his girlfriend’s 8-month-old daughter Wednesday, saying the injuries that left her with serious brain injuries were accidental.
William Jobe said the girl had vomited and he was rushing to get her out of her walker. He said he tried about four times before he got her out.
“I am truly sorry,” he said during his sentencing in Summit County Common Pleas Court. “I didn’t mean for this to happen … I think about this every day.”
Prosecutors, however, say the injuries the girl suffered last August while in Jobe’s care were consistent with being violently shaken. The girl was initially paralyzed and could only gaze to the left. She still suffers from seizures and sleep apnea.
Judge Paul Gallagher followed the recommendation of prosecutors and sentenced Jobe, who has no previous record, to five years in prison.
Jobe, 29, pleaded guilty Aug. 4 to child endangering, a second-degree felony.
Jobe was arrested after police say he admitted shaking his girlfriend’s baby Aug. 17, 2015, in the Second Street home he shared with the girl’s mother. He called police and paramedics to report that the baby was having trouble breathing. The girl was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital where she was admitted to the intensive care unit with serious injuries.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @swarsmithabj and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/swarsmith.