Man Sentenced to 20 Years

Pled Guilty to Child Abuse After Shaking His Baby

A Sparks man who pled guilty to one count of Child Abuse Causing Substantial Bodily Harm has been sentenced to 20 years in prison with eligibility for parole after 8 years, which is the maximum sentence authorized by law.

Isreal Bennett was arrested in September of 2020, after detectives with the Reno Police Department were called to the hospital following a report of potential child abuse against a 7-week-old baby. Medical staff informed law enforcement that the child had severe brain bleeding, fractures to his skull, hemorrhaging, and brain swelling. During an interview with detectives, the child’s mother told police that Bennett had been frustrated in the past over not bonding with their son, and on one occasion she saw him forcefully shake the baby.  When officers spoke with Bennett, he told police that there were several moments in the week where he may have shaken his son too hard to get him to stop crying.

During sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Brett Dieffenbach argued that the now three-year-old child was irreparably injured by the actions of Bennett and that such injuries to a child cannot be tolerated and are deserving of the maximum sentence allowed by law.

The Honorable Judge Kathleen Sigurdson presided and imposed the sentencing.