Steven Saldana took a plea agreement that sends him to prison for a little more than two years, stemming from the case of the 4-month-old baby found with a cigarette burn, 14 broken bones, and bruising all over her body.
Angelica Jimenez -- the Chandler woman designated by Child Protective Services as the baby's caretaker -- previously was sentenced to probation for her involvement.
Saldana was sentenced this morning to two years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct, although plea-agreement documents show that Saldana's prior DUI conviction designates his new conviction as a "repetitive" offense.
Chandler police had pegged Saldana as the cause of the injuries to the 4-month-old girl, who was placed Jimenez's custody after the kid's mother -- a friend of Jimenez's -- lost her rights to the girl.
Jimenez likely got custody of the girl after she failed to disclose to a CPS caseworker that her convict boyfriend, Saldana, was
living with her.
In fact, she explicitly told CPS that Saldana wasn't living with her.
According to the Chandler Police Department, the baby was rushed to the
hospital on August 3, after Jimenez discovered she wasn't breathing.
Doctors resuscitated the girl, and discovered the apparent abuse.
Jimenez initially told police she was alone with the baby when the girl
stopped breathing, but detectives eventually discovered that wasn't
exactly the case, as Saldana was there too.
Police said Saldana
actually started abusing the baby on July 31, 2011 -- nearly a month
before the hospital trip. Jimenez never reported the abuse to police,
and even let Saldana return to the apartment.
Jimenez was sentenced in March to a decade of probation, while Saldana's plea deal sends him to prison for a little more than two years.
Saldana had initially faced three counts of child abuse, while Jimenez was initially charged with one count for just standing by and watching.
According to our highly unscientific reader poll, more than 97 percent of our readers thought Jimenez got off easy by being sentenced to probation.
James King contributed to this report.
