A Cherokee County father who fractured his 3-year-old son’s skull while the boy’s mother was shopping was sentenced to eight years in prison, authorities said Tuesday.
Kyle Raymond Walter, 29, pleaded guilty to child cruelty and other charges in the March 2020 abuse case, the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office announced.
The Canton man initially told police his son must have fallen off a bunkbed or dresser, but later admitted hitting the child with a plastic baseball bat “because he was misbehaving,” prosecutors said.
At his sentencing hearing earlier this month, Walter also testified that he picked up the the toddler and threw him down, causing him to hit his head on action figures and other toys scattered across the floor.
“The mother returned home to find her son bleeding from the mouth, having difficulty walking and acting lethargic,” the DA’s office said in a news release.
The boy was rushed to Northside Hospital Cherokee and then flown to a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta location.
The child suffered multiple skull fractures and internal bleeding, investigators said. Hospital staff also noticed bruises on his body that were in various stages of healing.
“Hearing Mr. Walter’s account of his actions was truly disturbing,” said Deputy Chief ADA Jennifer Gower Side, who prosecuted the case. “It is hard to imagine the cruelty of a grown man throwing a small child to the floor in such a violent manner.”
Walter was sentenced to 20 years, with eight to serve in prison and the remainder on probation. He’s also prohibited from having unsupervised contact with anyone younger than 18 while serving his sentence. In addition, he is required to participate in a family violence intervention program, submit to regular mental health evaluations and refrain from drug and alcohol use, authorities said.
“Innocent children should never suffer abuse at the hands of anyone, much less their own parent who should be committed to caring for and protecting them,” District Attorney Shannon Wallace said. “It is our hope that this sentence will ensure that the defendant never harms another child.”
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