Bellville woman sentenced in 2018 baby abuse case
Paisley with foster parents who hope to adopt her
MANSFIELD - A 20-year-old Bellville woman will spend nearly three months in juvenile detention for severely injuring a then-7-week-old girl in 2018.
Betty Jo Dial appeared in Richland County Juvenile Court on Thursday for sentencing.
She was convicted earlier this month in a rare juvenile court trial before Judge Steve Mckinley.
Dial was found guilty of felonious assault and two counts of endangering children, and was declared a serious youthful offender.
She was a month shy of 18 when she injured her daughter, Paisley Hughes, now 3. Hughes suffered abusive head trauma, what used to be called shakenbaby syndrome.
“In layman’s terms, it’s a split brain,” Assistant Prosecutor Teri Burnside previously told the News Journal.
‘Devastating’ injuries
Paisley will probably be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She developed cerebral palsy and cannot speak. She is in the care of a foster family, which plans to adopt her.
Dial cried as she entered the courtroom. Her mother and stepfather were on hand to support her.
She was wearing all blue, meaning she was on honors while being held in detention. Dial has been at the juvenile justice center since her conviction.
Defense attorney Terry Hitchman asked the judge to consider probation to allow Dial to keep her job and continue counseling.
“She has behaved herself and done well,” Hitchman said.
The defense attorney told Dial to stand and take her mask off when it was her turn to address the court.
“I just ask that I get a chance at probation so I can continue working and see my daughters,” Dial said.
She did not apologize or mention Paisley.
Paisley’s foster parents could not attend Thursday’s hearing, but they did send a letter, which victim advocate Jamie Akers read to the court.
“Paisley is loved very much. She has changed our lives for the better,” they wrote. “She is unbelievably happy.”
Assistant Prosecutor Matt Metcalf asked Mckinley to send Dial to the Department of Youth Services “today.” He said he disagreed with the pre-sentence investigation prepared by Lisa Benson, director of court services.
Benson did not recommend a stint at
DYS, where Dial could be held until she turns 21 on June 13.
“This is three counts of violent felonies against a 7-week-old,” Metcalf said. “Betty Jo Dial was less than a month away from being 18. She was almost an adult.”
Metcalf said the infant suffered devastating injuries.
“Paisley is permanently harmed. She almost died. They had to put her on life support and put her on a feeding tube for two weeks,” he said. “We don’t know exactly what happened. We know she was abused.”
Metcalf said Dial’s trial was delayed, once because she had to undergo a Csection and once because Richland County was listed as purple in the COVID-19 advisory warning system.
The assistant prosecutor said neither delay was the state’s fault. He lamented the case not going to trial sooner so Dial could have received more time.
Mckinley pushed back against the assertion, saying the offense happened in May 2018, but the state didn’t file charges for 14 months.
“It seems the state would have brought the case sooner,” the judge said.