ANTELOPE VALLEY : 2 Plead No Contest in Child Abuse Case
A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy and his girlfriend have pleaded no contest to a felony charge of child endangerment filed after the woman’s 18-month-old daughter was found to have suffered a fractured forearm, hipbone and ribs in January.
Deputy Daniel Casteel, 29, who had been on medical leave from the Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Station before his Feb. 28 arrest, is scheduled to be sentenced July 30 in Lancaster Superior Court.
Casteel, who is not the girl’s father, and Rebecca Collins, 25, both of Lancaster, face up to a year in county jail.
Under Thursday’s plea bargain, prosecutors agreed not to seek state prison time and to dismiss other charges, including child abuse, in the case.
Casteel remains free on $45,000 bond and Collins was released on her own recognizance.
Casteel, who remains on leave, also faces dismissal by the Sheriff’s Department because of the conviction.
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