(NEW LEXINGTON, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that a mother and father convicted of abusing their infant son will spend the next several years in prison.
Visiting Judge Michael Ward sentenced Matthew Skeens, 33, and Mariah Keister, 23, to each serve seven years in prison after the parents both pleaded guilty to felony charges of felonious assault and endangering children.
Authorities with the New Lexington Police Department began investigating the parents in 2013 after the couple's son, who was less than three months old at the time, was brought to the hospital with multiple fractures.
"Not only did these parents seriously injure their own child, but they also made the boy's injuries worse by delaying treatment and not bringing the child to the hospital right away," said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.
"There is never an excuse for harming an innocent child," said New Lexington Police Chief Scott Ervin. "I am pleased to see these defendants being held accountable for their actions."
The cases were prosecuted by attorneys with Attorney General DeWine's Special Prosecutions Section.
The child is now in the custody of a family member.
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