A Francesville man was sentenced in Pulaski County Circuit Court Tuesday on felony charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, and domestic battery resulting in bodily injury of a child under 14 years of age after being convicted of those charges in a jury trial in October.
It was previously reported that the issue reportedly began when Coltyn M. Toosley and the then-19-month-old child missed an appointment with the Department of Child Services in 2019. When the caseworker finally tracked them down, the caseworker reportedly noticed severe bruising and swelling to the child’s face and immediately took the child to the emergency room, according to the report. Pulaski County Prosecutor Kelly Gaumer said that during the trial, evidence was given that Toosley told police that the injuries happened when he fell while holding the victim, but he also reportedly said that he may have hit her once. After reviewing photographs and medical records, however, a medical expert reportedly determined that the injuries were caused by multiple blunt force trauma inflicted from physical abuse.
The victim’s adopted mother testified during a sentencing hearing Tuesday of how the incident impacted the victim’s life. According to information from the Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office, the witness testified that the victim is thriving after being taken out of that situation, but still may experience some mental health trauma throughout life.
Gaumer says Pulaski Circuit Court Judge Mary Welker ruled that the aggravating factors in this case outweighed the mitigating factors, including significant harm to the victim, the age of the victim, and that Toosley was in a position of trust having the care of the child at the time of the abuse. Toosley’s criminal history was also an aggravating factor.
Toosley was sentenced to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with two years of that sentence suspended to be served on probation on the charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury. On the charge of domestic battery, Toosley was sentenced to four years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with two years of that sentence suspended to be served on probation. Both counts will be served consecutively. While serving probation following his time served in prison, Toosley will need to attend counseling as ordered during the hearing.
