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VERNAL — A Vernal man who was accused of kicking his son in the face, causing the boy's head to strike a gun safe, has pleaded guilty to child abuse.
The charge against Adam Joshua Smith, 33, was reduced from a second-degree felony to a third-degree felony in exchange for his guilty plea, according to court records.
Smith was offered a plea deal in an effort to avoid the need to have the 7-year-old victim testify against his own father, Uintah County Attorney G. Mark Thomas said Friday. Thomas noted that Smith has already given up custody of the boy.
"That was another factor I considered," the prosecutor said. "He won't have contact with the child anymore."
Smith's son was treated for a head injury on April 4 at Ashley Regional Medical Center. Smith and his wife, Karysa Marie Smith, told doctors the boy had fallen down a flight of five ceramic stairs at home, according to charging documents.
The boy was treated at the hospital, but was brought back on April 9 after a Division of Child and Family Services caseworker noticed more severe bruising, investigators said.
A CAT scan showed a large amount of blood under the boy's scalp, court records state. A forensic nurse who examined the boy said the injury can cause a substantial risk of death for a child and was "difficult to explain by a fall down five stairs."
During an interview, the boy told investigators his father kicked him in the face, causing his head to hit a gun safe, court records state. The child said "his father did this several times," investigators said.
Adam and Karysa Smith also "beat" or "spanked" their child with a belt, according to charging documents. Investigators said when they showed Karysa Smith photos of her son's injuries, she told them she was "not aware of the bruising or injuries."
Karysa Smith, 26, entered a no contest plea on Oct. 6 in 8th District Court to child abuse, a second-degree felony, and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, a class B misdemeanor. Thomas said she also agreed to give up custody of her son in a separate hearing in juvenile court.
Under the terms of her deal with prosecutors, Karysa Smith's plea to the child abuse charge will be held in abeyance for two years. She is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 3 for the obstruction of justice charge and for a 2014 misdemeanor child abuse charge.
A sentencing hearing for Adam Smith is set for Dec. 15.
