Janesville man gets 1 year in jail for child abuse

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JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin mother whose children police said were beaten until they were bloody and unconscious called the abuser’s one-year sentence a “complete failure of the justice system.”

Brandon Quinn, 23, of Janesville pleaded guilty last week to one count of physical abuse of a child, The Janesville Gazette reported. As part of a deal with prosecutors, he was sentenced to one year in jail, followed by five years of probation, online court records show.

Quinn could have served up to 25 years in prison if the second count of physical abuse of a child hadn’t been dismissed.

Karen Little, who was dating Quinn at the time, said the one-year sentence is unacceptable because he did “unspeakable things” to her children.

According to the criminal complaint, Quinn hit Little’s 7-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl with a hammer, spoon and spatula. He also kicked and choked the children, and hit the boy in the genitals, causing him to bleed, according to the complaint. He is not the children’s father.

“By the time (Quinn) gets off probation, we won’t even know if my son will be able to have children,” Little told The Gazette.

Quinn told police he was drunk during the July 1 assault.

“I obviously need counseling to figure out why I did what I did. I’m sorry for it. Can’t do anything about it; but I’m trying to move forward,” Quinn said at the court hearing Thursday.

Quinn had no prior record and was a victim of child abuse himself, his attorney said.

Deputy District Attorney Perry Folts said the plea agreement was struck because Quinn didn’t have a record and prosecutors wanted to avoid traumatizing the children by making them testify.

Information from: The Janesville Gazette, http://www.gazetteextra.com