Prosecutors say he held a 20-month-old girl under 140-degree water, leaving her covered in first- and second-degree burns, but to his family, Andrew Hutchins is a good man unjustly accused of burning his girlfriend's daughter.
In January, prosecutors charged Hutchins, 20, with felony assault and felony child endangerment after O'Bleness Memorial Hospital reported suspicious burns on Madison Webb, his girlfriend's daughter. His attorney argues hot bathwater could have burned Madison in the few seconds that Hutchins stepped away from the tub. And Hutchins' family staunchly defends him, saying he's wonderful with children and often watches their kids.
My son would never hurt a child
everyone who knows him knows that said his mother, Loretta Atkinson. It was a total accident.
Andrew's the type he'd give his life for a child
she said. Eric Atkinson, Hutchins' uncle, said his nephew often watched his children without problem. Hutchins' grandmother called the charges against him B-S.
Doug Crites, a sheriff's deputy investigating the case, testified in January that Madison was in the bathtub when she received first- and second-degree burns. Based on hospital records and conversations with doctors who treated her, Crites speculated that Hutchins held the child under the water and deliberately burned her.
Hutchins' attorney, Bill Biddlestone, suggested the burns came when Hutchins briefly stepped away from the bathtub. Madison could have turned the hot water spigot herself, unleashing a torrent of 140-degree water that severely burned her, Biddlestone said at the January hearing.
Biddlestone and prosecutors also disagree about how long it took for Hutchins to tell his girlfriend, Amber Milner, about her daughter's burns. Prosecutors said Hutchins waited more than two hours, but Biddlestone said Hutchins called 15 minutes later. Either way, Madison didn't arrive at the hospital until shortly before 8 p.m., about six hours after the 140-degree bath.
A final pre-trial hearing scheduled for yesterday afternoon was delayed until 10:30 a.m. today for lack of time. Hutchins' mother, aunt, uncle, cousin and grandmother sat in court to support him. Biddlestone declined to comment at the hearing.
Hutchins' criminal record includes convictions for threatening to rob the local Kroger, shooting himself in the foot while intoxicated, possessing Methadone without a prescription and multiple traffic violations. On Dec. 14, when O'Bleness treated Madison for burns, he was still on probation.
He's been into drugs
he's made mistakes
but (would) never (abuse) a child
said Jessica Rutter, his cousin.
Hutchins himself was abused as a child, Loretta Atkinson said, adding he would never do that to anyone else.
Hutchins lost his job at Arby's and a position he lined up at Bennigan's after the investigation began, she said. His reputation is shot now. It's not right.
Biddlestone told Hutchins' family yesterday he will seek an expert witness for the case, which the family expects will go to trial.
If a jury convicts Hutchins of the felony assault charge, a judge could sentence Hutchins to between two and eight years in prison and fine him up to $15,000. The felony child endangerment charge carries a prison sentence of one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
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Dave Hendricks
