Tuesday, May 18, 1999
Sexual abuser gets lighter sentence because boy's mother loves him
BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As he awaited sentencing for sexually abusing a 2-year-old boy, Shawn Garrison searched the courtroom until he spotted the victim's mother.
“Come see me,” he said quietly.
With her son perched on her lap, the woman smiled and promised she would visit.
The scene played out Monday before Mr. Garrison was sentenced to five years in prison for gross sexual imposition and felonious assault.
Prosecutors say he sodomized his girlfriend's son on Dec. 4 and then lied about the extent of the child's injuries so his mother would not seek medical attention.
Although the boy's mother initially spoke to police about the case, she later told prosecutors she was in love with Mr. Garrison and would not cooperate.
Without her help, prosecutors said, they were forced to offer Mr. Garrison a plea deal that dropped the rape charge against him.
Because the victim was under age 13, the rape charge could have resulted in a life sentence. Mr. Garrison, 23, was sentenced by Judge Arthur Ney in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
“This victim is a baby,” Judge Ney said Monday as the child played in the back of the courtroom. “We can only hope in the future that he can overcome this horrendous incident.”
Prosecutors said the boy suffered serious internal injuries, broken ribs and intestinal damage.
The judge declared Mr. Garrison a sexually oriented offender and ordered him to stay away from the victim after his release from prison.
Assistant Prosecutor Seth Tieger said the boy's mother, who is not being named to protect the child's identity, had requested a last-minute change in the plea deal.
He said the woman wanted to eliminate a clause that required Mr. Garrison to stay away from her.
“She is in the courtroom today with her son,” Mr. Tieger said. “I have no idea why she would want to see him or why he would want to see her, but she does.”
Prosecutors did not object to the request, and the judge agreed to remove the clause.
The boy's mother sat with Mr. Garrison's family throughout the hearing Monday.
She declined to address the court during the sentencing and did not submit a letter for the prosecution's victim impact statement.
Mr. Garrison, of Riverside, will be required to serve three years on probation following his release.
A trusted ear best defense for schools?
Fountain barricade coming down
Indian activist asks Anderson to drop 'Redskin'
Police raid challenged
Suspect 'on the run all his life'
Baby, rescued from trash can, dies after 5 months
Dropout rate climbs in Ohio, Ky.
Reds, county near lease
Spanish-language paper launched
Kentucky experiments in electronic education
New center at airport to train pilots
Ohio censors license plates
Road-rage driver may go back to jail
Sexual abuser gets lighter sentence because boy's mother loves him
Lilith Fair collections catch spirit
'Phantom Menace' more than a movie
GET TO IT
Athletes' grades high, district says school says
Bellevue will renovate bridge
Big dreams for Lawrenceburg
Butler Co. finds some park money
Clinton Memorial plans to grow
Cost-cutting may reduce test sites for Walnut Hills
County sees worth of extra sewer work
East-siders protest jail site
Embezzler's sentence suspended
Mason hires Herman's Hermits
New gateway signs beckon visitors
Newport may find new uses for its old pools
Public views sought on jail
Tornado's victims get help from kids' choir
TRISTATE DIGEST
Two resign at Children Services
Winburn expands plan for Over-the-Rhine housing
Woodlawn lands Trane center
Y pool to open despite damage
