Dad pleads guilty to aggravated assault in death of 8-week-old daughter; sentenced to 10 years in prison (Portland, Tennessee)

Notice that Mom wasn't even home when Daddy bashed the baby, but she was initially charged anyway. This is a perfect example of the baffling standards to which mothers are held. Somehow, you are supposed to have the super powers necessary to halt violent crimes even when you are not there. You virtually never see fathers held to this demand.

Dad is identified as ROBERT JASPER.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/sumner/2014/05/12/portland-man-sentenced-years-babys-death/9005923/

Portland man sentenced to 10 years in baby’s death

Dessislava Yankova, Nashville 2:30 p.m. CDT May 12, 2014

A Portland father has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and child neglect in the death of his 8-week-old daughter.

Robert Jasper, 30 was originally charged Feb. 11 with first degree murder, aggravated child abuse and child neglect.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser charges earlier this month, receiving a jail sentence of 10 years at 35 percent, which he is now serving at the Sumner County Jail in Gallatin.

The sentence results from what is called a criminal information plea in a settlement reached between Jasper’s defense attorney James Ramsey and Assistant District Attorney Jayson Criddle. The settlement was filed May 8, days before Jasper’s preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday.

Charges stem from Jan. 2, when Jasper called police from a Portland Boulevard residence and said his baby was having difficulties breathing. Baby Alionna received CPR at the scene from first responders, who transported the child to Sumner Regional Medical Center in Gallatin, where staff noticed “old bruising and swelling to the baby’s eyes and face,” Portland Police Chief Richard Smith said.

The infant was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in critical condition. Vanderbilt medical personnel told police the baby had suffered a “severe brain injury” and possible abuse. Alionna died at Vanderbilt. Preliminary autopsy results showed the cause of death as “inflicted head and spinal cord trauma,” Smith said.

Jasper, who was alone with Alionna when the child was injured, initially told police he didn’t know what happened but later said he had a dream that Alionna was not breathing and he shook the infant to help her breathe.

The preliminary autopsy suggested homicide as the cause of death. The final medical examiner’s report released in April, however, noted the baby suffered from meningitis and had brain injuries, leading the cause of death to be undetermined.

“That would have made it very difficult to prove any abuse period, but particularly homicide,” Criddle said. “We reached an agreement that holds him responsible at least in part for the injuries that she suffered. This is a very, very unusual case. I have never seen anything like this case before as far as the medical diagnoses.” As a result, Jasper’s first-degree murder charge was dismissed. His aggravated child abuse charge was reduced to aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty as charged to his third charge of child neglect.

While the aggravated assault charge generally carries a three to six years sentence for a non-felony offender, Jasper agreed to take an enhanced sentence of 10 years. He received four years at 35 percent for the child neglect charge. Jasper is serving all of his time concurrently. This is Jasper’s fourth arrest.

In 2013, he was arrested for theft under $500, to which he pleaded guilty in February. In 2012, he was arrested for driving on a suspended license, a charge later dismissed. In 2011, he was arrested for a crime in Warren County.

The child’s mother, Jenny Gregory, was also arrested in February and released in March for not having involvement in the child’s death.