Custodial dad admits he hit and bit 1-year-old son for crying; had been granted custody just two months before (Napa Valley, California)

Notice there is not one word on who thought it was a good idea to give this short-tempered little POS custody of a 1-year-old.

Dad is identified as STEVEN THOMAS FUSSELL.

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/father-sentenced-after-admitting-child-abuse-biting-toddler-on-cheek/article_838a3f58-4ce4-5b31-b57f-5552efe908a5.html

Father sentenced after admitting child abuse, biting toddler on cheek

February 09, 2015 3:00 pm • By Kerana Todorov

A 22-year-old father who spent about a year in jail for child abuse will not have to spend more time in custody.

Napa County Superior Court Judge Mark Boessenecker on Thursday sentenced Steven Thomas Fussell of Napa to two years in the Napa County jail, according to court records. However, Boessenecker also ruled Fussell has served his time already.

Fussell pleaded no contest in early January to one count of child abuse for beating his 1½-year-old son in December 2013, according to court records. A no-contest plea carries the same weight as a guilty plea at sentencing.

Thursday’s sentence is considered a prison term under California’s realignment law designed to keep lesser violent criminals out of state prisons.

Fussell served 389 days in the Napa County jail after his December 2013 arrest until his release Jan. 7, according to court records. He was released after he agreed to sign a plea agreement with the Napa County District Attorney’s Office. On Thursday, Fussell received credit for an additional 388 jail days.

The child has recovered from his injuries, according to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.

It is unclear where the boy lives. According to court records, before Fussell was arrested, he had cared for his son for two months because the child’s mother had lost custody of the boy.

On Dec. 15, 2013, Fussell was arrested in Napa after Napa Police responded to a report of child abuse.

According to a witness, Fussell was at her residence at another Napa address the day before when the father took his crying son to a bathroom. The next morning, the boy’s face was bruised, his lips were swollen and his eyes were nearly closed, according to Fussell’s probation report. Fussell first told police the child was injured in a fall and in a fight with another child, police said in a court filing.

The boy was transported to the hospital; Fussell was booked into the Napa County jail.

Eventually, Fussell admitted striking his son with an open hand on his mouth and face and biting him because he was frustrated because the boy would not stop crying, police said in a court filing.

Fussell said he shook his son and played “‘running from cops’” and bit him on his cheek in an attempt to stop the child from crying, according to the court filing.