Child Neglect Defendants Take Plea Deals; Trial Looms For Others
Posted
Amanda Bridgman-abridgman@timesuniononline.com
The 10-day jury trial for the five people arrested in a child neglect case will be slightly different than planned as some of the defendants have taken plea deals.
The trial was set to begin Jan. 20 in Kosciusko Superior Court I for the five people arrested in the 2018 incident. Those people are Rune Springer, 26, of 9872 E. King Arthur Trail, Cromwell; Travis Tillotson, 39, of 1359 W. CR 800S, Claypool; Fayette Robinette, 60, of 9462 N. Ind. 19, lot #24, Etna Green; Jammy Stacy, 42, Elkhart; and Annette Priestley, 60, White Pigeon, Mich.
On March 2, 2018, Nappanee police responded to 1200 N. Main St., Apt. 103, Nappanee, and found a child in need of medical attention. Officers identified the mother as Springer. Springer and Tillotson were married and lived together in the Nappanee home.
Springer told officers she did not cause the injuries to the child and that the child had been in the care of another woman, Stacy, for about a year. Springer said Stacy dropped the boy at Springer’s house on March 1, 2018, with visible injuries, according to court papers.
Springer and Tillotson did not call police for approximately 32 hours after the boy was dropped off, according to court statements, because Stacy and Priestley said they would all be arrested for child abuse. Priestley was with Stacy when the boy was dropped off, according to statements Tillotson made in court Thursday. Priestley is Stacy’s mother.
The boy was taken to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne, where he stayed in the intensive care unit for 10 days for being malnourished.
Parkview medical staff said the child had visible injuries in many stages of healing. He had multiple pieces of scalp missing, ranging from a half-inch to 2 inches. His septum on his nose had been cut deeply and was starting to heal. What appeared to be injuries from fingernails dug into his left cheek were scabbed over. Skin was missing from the bridge of his nose and scabbed over. His arms were broken in multiple places and in different stages of healing. Arm sockets were broken and the child was unable to raise his hands over his shoulders. His teeth were broken from trauma; his lower lip had been cut deep and was almost healed, leaving scarring; and he was extremely underweight and had hematomas to the head.
According to police reports, a doctor said that the child’s injuries were life-threatening and were not accidental. The doctor said injuries to the child appeared to range from several months old to a few days old, and that if the child had not gotten treatment, he would have died within 48 hours. The injuries appeared to be the result of prolonged child abuse.
The investigation revealed that Springer had taken the child to Stacy in October 2017 to live with her, and that Springer would only go visit him at Stacy’s residence for an occasional visit, with the last one being in December 2017, according to court records.
Stacy told police during interviews that the boy lived with her from October to March 1 and that the child would occasionally stay the night at her aunt’s house – Robinette’s. Stacy also told police the child had visited regularly with Priestley during that time, and that she knew the boy should have gotten medical attention and she would have if the child had been her own.
Police charged Springer with a Level 3 felony charge of neglect of a dependent. On Dec. 23, Springer entered into a plea agreement that allowed her to submit a plea of guilty but mentally ill to the lesser included crime of neglect of a dependent as a Level 6 felony and agrees to testify against her co-defendants if necessary. There was no limit as to what the judge can sentence her to.
Springer is set to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 13.
On Thursday, Tillotson appeared in front of Kosciusko Superior Court I Judge David Cates and entered his guilty plea to a Level 6 felony charge of neglect of a dependent as part of a plea agreement. The plea states that Tillotson agrees to receive a maximum of 1-1/2 years in jail, all suspended to formal probation, and that he will testify against any co-defendants in the case.
Tillotson told Cates that when the boy was dropped off at his home he was malnourished, had lacerations on his face, puncture wounds on the back of his head and that the boy could barely walk.
Kosciusko County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz asked Tillotson why he and Springer waited to call for help and said that by him waiting to take action, he put the boy’s life in danger. Voelz also told Tillotson that Springer had a psychiatric evaluation done and asked Tillotson what Springer was like.
“She’s really unstable,” Tillotson said. “She’s never been fit to be a mom. As far as her raising kids long term, there’s no way.”
Cates took the plea under advisement until 9:30 a.m. Feb. 27.
A motion to continue the trial of Stacy, who’s charged with a Level 3 felony of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, was made and she’s due in court at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 20 for a status conference, according to court records. Stacy’s lawyer has also had a hearing set to try to get Springer’s mental examination results released to them.
Priestley, who is facing a Level 3 felony charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, is on the court’s docket for 9 a.m. Jan. 27 for trial.
A two-day jury trial for Robinette, who’s charged with a Level 3 felony of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, is set for Jan. 30, according to court records.
