A 19-year-old Kentucky man charged with injuring his infant son has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to first-degree criminal abuse of a child less than 12 years old.
The Paducah Sun reports Kelton Ragan apologized Monday for breaking his then-3-month-old son's leg, calling the injury a "freak accident." McCracken Circuit Judge Tim Kaltenbach imposed the Commonwealth Attorney's Office's recommended sentence. Ragan will be eligible for parole after serving 20 percent of his sentence.
Ragan's grandfather, Keith Ragan, spoke for the defendant, saying his grandson hadn't meant to hurt the boy and lashing out at local media coverage, which he felt jeopardized a chance at a fair trial.
Kaltenbach said the sentence was justified, given the severity of the child's injury.
