An Athens County man, who allegedly held a 20-month-old child in 140-degree bathwater, will go before a jury next week to face more severe charges than the ones listed on his original indictment.
An Athens County grand jury indicted Hutchins on new charges of felony child endangerment and felony escape in early June. Hutchins pled not guilty during his arraignment, and his jury trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday.
Andrew Hutchins, 20, intentionally held his girlfriend's daughter in 140-degree bathwater until she sustained first and second degree burns and did not take her to the hospital until six hours later, police allege.
Prosecutors first indicted Hutchins in January for felony assault and child endangerment charges. His criminal record includes convictions for threatening to rob a local grocery store, illegal possession of methadone and shooting himself in the foot while intoxicated. He was also on community control when police arrested him in January.
The new indictment raises the child endangerment charge against Hutchins from a third-degree to a second-degree felony, which carries a maximum sentence of eight years instead of five years in prison. Prosecutors have also added an escape charge to the indictment, alleging that he violated the terms of a prison furlough when he visited the mother of his alleged victim, his girlfriend at the time of his arrest.
In this case, escape is a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of years in prison. He faces a maximum of 13 years in prison on both counts if convicted.
The new indictment does not list the felony assault charge that was included on the original indictment.
Police began their investigation in December after the child was brought to O'Bleness Memorial Hospital with first and second degree burns.
Hutchins' attorney, William Biddlestone, has argued that the burn was a terrible accident, saying that it would not take long for a child to be burned in boiling bathwater. Both sides have said they will call expert witnesses to testify for their respective cases.
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Frank Thomas
