An 18-year-old Akron man is heading to prison for burning his 4-month-old daughter in scalding water.
Demetrius Ford was convicted by a Summit County jury in November of felonious assault and two counts of child endangering, second-degree felonies. Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Todd McKenney sentenced Ford Tuesday to eight years in prison.
“This innocent child suffered significant, painful injuries,” Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said in a prepared statement. “She will have to deal with the physical and emotional scars for the rest of her life. A father’s main goal should be to protect their child, not cause pain.”
Prosecutors say Ford, who was 17 at the time, was giving his daughter a bath in February when she suffered second- and third-degree burns to her face, shoulders and chest.
At trial, a child abuse expert testified that the girl was purposefully submerged in scalding water. Investigators also discovered the girl suffered a skull fracture and broken ribs, according to the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office.
Ford was bound over from Summit County Juvenile Court to be tried as an adult.
Chavelle Grier, the child’s mother, was sentenced to probation in June for her part in the girl’s injuries. Grier, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of child endangering.