El Cajon

An El Cajon couple was sentenced Thursday to one year in jail and five years on probation in a child abuse case in which a 3-month-old child received seven skull fractures.

Anne Frances Kindle and Ray Charles Patterson Jr., both 27, were sentenced by Municipal Judge Frederic L. Link after pleading guilty in August to felony child endangerment.

“It’s a very sad case,” Link said before sentencing.

The child, who is in a specialized medical foster care home, had seven skull fractures, which led to a swelling of the brain when he was admitted to Children’s Hospital on April 22. The child has a shunt on the left side of its head to relieve pressure on the brain.

According to Deputy Dist. Atty. Rick Clabby, the child experiences intermittent blindness and long-term mental disability is possible.

In the sentencing hearing, Clabby told the court that both defendants have a “cavalier attitude” about the incident. “There hasn’t been the emotion one would expect,” he said.

Link blamed the couple for the child’s injuries, saying selfish feelings were to blame. He discounted defense attorneys’ claims that Kindle was immature and Patterson was not aware of the injuries.

“Anyone who can’t recognize an enlarged head is sick,” Link said.

Both defendants were denied custody of the victim and another child for the period of their probation. Both were ordered to continue therapy and counseling programs.