Osceola Mills mom pleads guilty in abuse of newborn baby
A mother facing charges for her involvement with an assault on her 3-week-old daughter will cooperate in the criminal case against the baby’s father.
The trial for Stephanie McGuire, 23, of Osceola Mills, was scheduled to start Monday morning in Clearfield County Court. Instead of taking the case to a jury, McGuire decided to sign a plea agreement.
She is pleading guilty to a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children, criminal conspiracy, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr.
Originally, McGuire also faced two counts of felony aggravated assault.
She will serve no less than 10 years of probation or parole in addition to any jail time, Shaw said.
McGuire has been incarcerated in the county jail since March, according to court records.
The charges stem from an investigation into injuries sustained by the victim and noted after the child was taken to a doctor in March for a bad diaper rash.
Doctors found she had two broken legs, a cracked rib, lacerations and abrasions on her face, a tear inside her mouth between her gums and her nose and tears in her rectum, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing.
The child’s father, Aaron Mills, 33, is charged with eight counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, criminal conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia, four counts of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. His trial is set for jury selection on Oct. 5 with trial dates being Dec. 11-14.
Shaw stated that McGuire has agreed to cooperate with the commonwealth and testify against her co-defendant, Mills.
The DA said he asked Clearfield County Judge Paul Cherry to delay McGuire’s sentencing until after Mills’s trial, and he agreed.
Defense attorney Leanne Nedza said she explained to her client that she will not be able to withdraw her plea at a later date.
According to testimony from the preliminary hearing, McGuire and Mills were the only two people caring for the child. After a search warrant was executed on their home and car, police found a garbage bag that contained three blankets, a pair of men’s boxer shorts, a man’s long-sleeve shirt, a baby outfit and a pink baby’s hat that all had blood stains on them.
During an interview with police, Mills denied knowledge of the baby’s injuries, other than the diaper rash. Mills told investigators that the baby had “explosive diarrhea” and was up several times each night. He allegedly admitted that he might have grabbed both feet of the child to lift her when he was changing her. Mills said he almost lifted the baby completely off the changing mat and realized he hurt the baby.
This story was originally published September 25, 2017 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Osceola Mills mom pleads guilty in abuse of newborn baby."