Tacoma couple sentenced for delay in taking injured son to hospital

A Tacoma couple accused of failing to get immediate medical attention for their seriously injured newborn son was sentenced Thursday.

Sierra Butterfield, 22, and Neal Taylor, 30, earlier this month pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal mistreatment.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Tom Larkin sentenced them to a deferred sentence of one year, meaning they won’t serve the time if they have no further legal trouble.

The dehydrated child arrived at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital on May 11, 2014, with a skull fracture, bleeding in his brain, a liver injury and bruising on his back and arms.

Butterfield had called a doctor about the injuries, and was told the child didn’t need to come in, defense attorneys Bryan Hershman and Michael Stewart told the judge. Eventually she took him in anyway.

The defense noted the injuries could have come from a car wreck Butterfield was in around the time she gave birth. The also noted that Child Protective Services returned the boy to his parents after the incident.

“I love my son very much,” Butterfield told the court Thursday. “... There were a lot of misconceptions during the investigation.”

Deputy prosecutor Brian Leech argued the injuries did not occur in the wreck.

In a court filing he stated, “The investigation was unable to reveal the infant’s assailant, as both parents denied having anything to do with the injuries or knowing how or when they occurred.”

As for the child’s condition, Taylor said outside court that he’s improving.

“He’s not 100 percent, but he’s much better than he was,” he said.

This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Tacoma couple sentenced for delay in taking injured son to hospital."