A Hastings-area man was sentenced this week to concurrent one-year jail terms after entering a plea in connection with the case of a 15-month-old child who was found alive in a ditch in rural Adams County on Oct. 4, 2025.
Charges, plea and sentence
Court records show the defendant was sentenced to one year in jail for misdemeanor child abuse and an additional one year in jail for obstruction of a police officer. A related felony child-abuse charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. The defendant received 280 days credit for time already served on each count and was ordered to pay court fees after his release.
- The child was located by a private citizen in a ditch in the 2,000 block of South Marian Road in rural Adams County on Oct. 4, 2025, and was unharmed, according to the sheriff’s office.
- Court records that would explain how the defendant became involved in the case are sealed.
- Prosecutors and defense counsel presented information in a sentencing hearing this week in front of the district court judge.
What was said at the hearing
During the hearing, the judge described the circumstances as serious and cited the defendant’s failure to immediately notify law enforcement after the child was discovered as a factor in sentencing. Defense counsel told the court the defendant maintains he was not the person who abandoned the child, though the child had been in his care at the time it was found.
“It is a miracle that this turned out the way it did for this child, considering the facts and the circumstances,” Judge Morgan Farquhar said. “It doesn’t take much of an imagination to think what could have happened. And I think you realize that, or at least I hope you do. I hope you realize how serious this case is.”
The defendant addressed the court and expressed remorse.
“I love her. I love her family. I consider them family and will forever regret the actions that made this horrible event happen,” the defendant said.
Case status and next steps
Prosecutors dropped the felony child-abuse count in the plea bargain that produced the misdemeanor and obstruction convictions. Local prosecutors have not publicly identified whether additional persons face charges in connection with the Oct. 2025 incident. The Adams County Attorney’s Office was contacted for comment.
The sheriff’s office initially responded to a report just after 8 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2025, after a concerned citizen found the child in the ditch. At the time the child was found healthy and unharmed, the sheriff’s office said.
