Woman sentenced in child abuse case

PORT CLINTON — A Port Clinton woman was sentenced on Monday after previously pleading guilty for her role in the abuse of her infant son. Gloria S. Riley, 20, of the 300 block of Superior Court, was convicted on two counts of permitting child abuse, each a third-degree felony, on Monday after previously pleading guilty to both charges at a hearing on Jan. 27. Riley pleaded guilty to the two counts of permitting child abuse in exchange for the dismissal of four counts of endangering children, two counts of tampering with evidence, two counts of obstructing justice and two additional counts of permitting child abuse. Ottawa County Common Pleas Court Judge Bruce Winters sentenced Riley to serve six years in prison and she will receive credit for 160 days served in county jail. Under the terms of her sentencing, Riley will be placed on a mandatory term of up to three years post-release control, according to court records. Riley, along with her co-defendant and boyfriend, Isaiah G. Garcia, 22, of the 200 block of Buckeye Blvd., were both indicted by an Ottawa County grand jury in October for their roles in allegedly abusing an infant. A police report identifies them as the parents of the child. Garcia was indicted on the following charges: • Eight counts of endangering children, both second and third-degree felonies • Three counts of felonious assault, each a second-degree felony • Three counts of domestic violence, each a first-degree misdemeanor • Two counts of tampering with evidence, each a third-degree felony Garcia pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity at a court hearing on Nov. 13. Due to Garcia's plea, the court ordered that he undergo "a psychological/psychiatric evaluation" to determine his "mental condition and state of mind" at the time of the alleged incident and to determine his "competency to stand trial," court records state. Garcia was later evaluated at the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Toledo and had a pre-trial competency status hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 14. As of late Tuesday, Garcia has no future court hearings scheduled and remains at the Ottawa County jail on a $500,000 bond. Background The report stemmed from members of the Ottawa County prosecutor's Major Crime Unit responding to a Toledo-area hospital on Oct. 3 for the report of a child with multiple injuries, including head bruising, blood blotches in their eyes and swollen marks on the their neck. Riley, who took the child to the hospital, told police that the child was in Garcia's care in the morning and afternoon that day, the report states. The following day, Garcia was found at a close family member's residence. When police spoke with him, Garcia allegedly admitted to hitting the child and was ultimately arrested and booked into the Ottawa County jail on a single charge of child endangerment. Riley was arrested and booked into the Ottawa County jail on Oct. 16.