Dad jailed for burning 17-month-old son; wanted to "teach him a lesson" (San Mateo County, California)

The dad is GREGORY COLVER JR. And once again, we have a mom who was working while Daddy was playing caregiver. But don't stay up late at night worrying about Daddy's fate. He only has to stay two more months in jail, then he gets (useless) parenting classes.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2050013/Father-17-month-old-son-hot-oven-teach-lesson.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Father gives son, one, third degree burns after putting him in oven to teach him a lessonToddler suffered burns after falling onto searing coils

Father, 21, tried to claim his son had climbed in
By Simon Tomlinson

Last updated at 12:52 PM on 17th October 2011

A father who gave his 17-month-old son serious burns after holding him in a hot oven to teach him a lesson has been jailed.

Gregory Colver Jr had been cooking a pizza when he became irritated at his child ‘banging his hand’ against a door, a court heard.

He retaliated by holding the boy feet first in the oven.

But when the toddler tried to wriggle out of the 21-year-old’s grasp, he fell onto the hot coils inside, San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City, California, heard.

The boy suffered second and third-degree burns that doctors concluded were caused by a ‘hot, linear object’, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Colver, from Daly City, originally claimed he had been asleep when his son wandered into the kitchen, turned on the oven and climbed inside.

But investigators probed further into the story when Colver’s account didn’t match up with that of his girlfriend, the child’s mother, who had been at work at the time, KGO-TV reported.

Colver was arrested on December 30, two days after the incident, and eventually confessed to police that he had done it to teach his son the dangers of a hot oven.

Colver was convicted in July of felony child endangerment and child cruelty.

He was given credit for time served on Friday, so will only have to spend around two more months in jail.

He must also undergo five years of supervised probation and will have to attend parenting classes and counselling, Judge John Grandsaert said.