Casper Man Who Abused 3 Month Old Baby Pleads Guilty

A Casper man appeared in person  at the Natrona County District Court Wednesday morning for a change of plea hearing.

Nathan Sandoval, born in 1999, heard the sole count of simple child abuse from Judge Daniel Forgey.

Attorney Ryan Semerad outlined the details of the plea agreement during the hearing:

In exchange for Sandoval's guilty plea, there will be a three to five year cap on the sentence, which will be handed down at a later time.

The investigation began on September 8 when Casper Police were dispatched to the Wyoming Medical Center.

According to court documents, a 3-month old child was brought to the emergency room with marks on her face that did not match the explanation given by the parents.

Doctors at the WMC stated the baby's injuries appeared non-accidental and didn't match the statement Sandoval had given investigators (he claimed the dog had injured the baby).

Per court records, In a further interview with Sandoval he told investigators that the baby had woken up at about 4:00 a.m and then again around 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. He said the baby had slipped from the swing where they put her to sleep and was crying.

Sandoval alleged that he lifted her out and she slipped from his grasp, dropping a couple feet; her head struck a metal trim piece around the swing support on her left side where the face injury resulted.

Sandoval said he was half-asleep and did not notice an injury at the time. The baby continued to cry. "Sandoval lost patience with her. He grabbed her by the neck and grabbed her left foot and twisted her leg. Sandoval could not recall which direction he twisted her leg. Sandoval then put her to bed and gave her a bottle and she went to sleep."

Pursuant to a search warrant, both the mother and Sandoval's cell phones were reviewed. Investigators saw a recent internet search on Sandoval's phone: "can a n xray show a hand print."

The court documents also state that a doctor performed a skeletal exam of the baby and found she had a non-displaced break to her left clavicle and spiral fracture to her left tibia."