BUCYRUS — A Galion woman pleaded guilty to one count of child endangerment, a third-degree felony punishable with up to three years in prison.
Jetaime Schilling, 37, pleaded guilty and opted for her attorney, Adam Stone, to argue before Crawford County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold what her sentence should be.
During the hearing, Leuthold heard from assistant prosecutor, Ryan Hoovler, who asked the court to impose 30 months in prison. During the proceedings, Hoovler presented a letter from the nine-year-old victim, submitted through his biological father, that asked for the sentence.
According to testimony from Schilling’s current husband, they had discussed punishment for the child, including corporal punishment. When asked what kind of misbehavior the child exhibited to warrant such punishment, Schilling’s husband told the court the child had stolen merit tickets from other children at school, refused to complete work and refused to stay in during recess for punishment.
Hoovler showed the photos taken of the abuse and asked the stepfather if this is what he had agreed to. He told the court he was not in the home when the abuse had occurred. Shilling’s attorney asked the stepfather what he would deem appropriate punishment if this was done to his own child. He told the court he would want some jail time.
Leuthold asked about some detailed punishment the victim said he had endured.
“Tell me about these wall squats. Do you know what they are?” Leuthold asked. “You’re forced to stand up with your back against a wall and squat for long periods of time. Wall squats were used by the Japanese. This is a nine-year-old child who describes being locked into a room and not fed and then beat again when he peed himself.”
The stepfather told Leuthold the child was forced to do the wall squat and count to five or six.
Leuthold referred to the Guardian Ad Litem’s report, saying the stepfather was at the property but not in the house during the punishments. Leuthold also noted that there was severe bruising on the child’s inner thighs near his genitalia.
In a pre-sentence investigation report, Schilling admitted to hitting the child more than once with her husband’s belt and that she had hit the child with everything from paint sticks to a paddle.
On his client’s behalf, Stone told the court they suspected the child had disabilities but had not begun ADHD testing. He asserted the facts of the case were taken out of context and said his client had struggled with discipline and had tried employing creative tactics.
Stone said his client had completed a case plan, left the home and had abided by the terms of her bond except for one time when she sent a card to her child believing she was permitted to do so.
“She went too far. She beat her kid up. But the greater pain for her will be her not being allowed in her child’s life,” Stone said. “The ongoing psychological torture I cannot imagine. We would ask for a 30-month suspended sentence and community control.”
Schilling herself addressed the court.
“I did wrong. I spanked wrong. I hurt him physically and emotionally. I lost my temper and control.” Schilling said. “I have worked hard to be a better parent. I wish I could apologize to him and his father. I apologize to the court. I’m ready to accept whatever punishment. I have to live with what I did, and I will never forgive myself for doing what a parent should never do.”
Leuthold told the court that the boy may have been a handful but that was no justification.
“He was locked in a room with no bathroom and no food for 7-12 hours. That is a recipe for disaster. It’s no good. I am not against corporal punishment,” Leuthold said. “I grew up with it. I’m sure more than a few of us got the end of a wooden spoon on our behind. But this is vastly different. There were excuses made calling this child clumsy, etc. This is a common excuse in domestic violence cases. It’s a false connotation. This was a straight up, beat down. Serious physical harm leads to psychological harm. This was a mother and son. Time had passed. You knew it was out of control.”
Leuthold noted some mitigating factors in Schilling’s defense. He noted she had made efforts to do well and make the situation better and said she had no criminal record. Leuthold said he felt she had showed genuine remorse.
“Community control is not an option here. This is a terrible crime. Even the pre-sentence investigation suggests 18 months in prison,” Leuthold said. “The pictures show this abuse went well beyond the scope of corporal punishment. The children are thriving in their new circumstances. I am going to follow the state’s recommendation and impose 30 months in prison.
“Your lawyer and your own words have convinced me you have some remorse,” he continued. “Somewhere down the road I may release you on community control. You are to have no contact with the victim but may have supervised visitation with your daughter.”
Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, Schilling was given a report date for prison. She must report to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department for transport to prison on January 22, 2021 by 7:30 p.m. Schilling remains under the conditions of her bond until her transport.