"Newborn Jane" GARTNER - 2 Months - Great Falls MT

A Great Falls man who pleaded guilty to causing broken ribs and a
broken leg to his infant daughter was given the maximum sentence for his
crime during a hearing in Cascade County District Court on Tuesday
afternoon.Daniel John George Gartner, 22,
was ordered to serve 5 years in prison with no time suspended for the
offense of assault on a minor. Gartner was one of many this year to be
charged with serious crimes of abuse against young children. Two of
those cases involved the deaths of two girls under the age of 3.
Gartner's is the first from among those criminal cases to reach a legal
conclusion.
"This
is a serious, serious case of child abuse, and it deserves an
appropriate consequence," said District Judge Kenneth Neill before
handing down the sentence.
The
victim, a girl with Down syndrome who was 2-months-old at the time of
the abuse, sustained four broken ribs and a fracture just above her
right knee. The injuries were discovered by medical staff at Benefis
Health System when the baby, who was required to use a feeding tube, was
already being treated there because the tube had fallen out. Staff
called the police, and Gartner later admitted to investigators that he
had caused the injuries when the baby was crying.
Neill
heard testimony and statements from family members of the victim and
the defendant. Gartner's brother, Shane Gartner, spoke to his brother's
character as a parent.
"He has always loved his kids," Shane Gartner said. "He has always treated them right."
Shane
Gartner said he wanted his brother to go to the Transition Center, a
program at the Great Falls Prerelease Center known as "boot camp" that
aims to help offenders transition back into society.
"I
believe my brother needs help, and I would like to see him get it," he
said. "He does have an anger issue, and I would like to see him get some
help with that."
Neill
did recommend that Gartner be enrolled in the boot camp program after
serving his time. He also required him to take anger management classes
and parenting classes.

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