Stepmom Gets 44 Months for Abuse

Jun 09, 03:02 AM

Current Headlines: By Tim Potter, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.

Jun. 9--Citing evidence that two young Wichita girls became emaciated after their stepmother "systematically" deprived them of food and water, a judge Friday sentenced the woman to 44 months in prison.

Jennifer Wood's abuse of her two stepdaughters -- 6 and 7 at the time -- was so severe that they could have died if there had not been intervention, District Judge Douglas Roth said.

Roth said the person who reported suspicions about the children needs to be thanked. That person's report prompted the state Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services investigation that led to Wood's arrest last July.

After the sentencing hearing, Roth said, "This case should show the public the importance of reporting abuse."

The case, which drew wide attention, including from the governor's office, has prompted reforms in the state's child-protection system.

During the hearing, Roth asked Wood -- who was tearful at times -- if she had anything to tell him. In a weak voice, she said, "All I really have to say is I'm sorry for all this," as several of her relatives watched from the gallery.

Wood, now 28, could be released from prison in about 27 months. Roth said she would receive credit for the 11 months she has been held in the Sedgwick County Jail, and she could receive credit for good behavior in prison.

Wood's lawyer, Roger Falk, argued that she deserved some leniency because she had no criminal record and because she had been punished already -- her biological children have been taken from her, she has lost her home and possessions and she has been threatened repeatedly in jail. He said he expected that she will continue to receive threats in prison.

Still, Roth declined to give her probation.

On May 2, Wood pleaded guilty to two counts of felony child abuse and one count of aggravated battery. Falk and Roth noted that the guilty plea spared the two children from having to appear in court.

Under a plea agreement, she would have been able to serve the sentence for each count concurrently, for a total of 32 months.

But saying that there were two victims, not one, Roth said he was ordering her to serve a 12-month sentence for the aggravated battery after a 32-month sentence for the two counts of child abuse. The aggravated battery conviction stemmed from her choking one of the girls.

She remains in jail, awaiting her transfer to prison.

Her husband, Alex Wood, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse, faces sentencing on Thursday.

In defending his client, Falk blamed Alex Wood, saying extensive SRS documents allege that the girls had been abused or neglected for years before Jennifer Wood became their stepmother.

"Her overall role in this is minor compared to Alex Wood," Falk said.

Falk accused Alex Wood of subjecting his wife to "some level of compulsion or manipulation" in her treatment of the children.

Alex Wood's public defender couldn't be reached for comment.

Roth later disagreed that Jennifer Wood had a minor role in the abuse, saying she was responsible for protecting her stepdaughters. Roth said her treatment of them was clearly "extreme cruelty."

He said "they were emaciated when they went to the hospital," right after their stepmother had been arrested.

C.J. Rieg, the prosecutor, said she "strongly, strongly, strongly" recommended that Jennifer Wood serve time in prison.

Responding to Falk's contention that Jennifer Wood had already been punished, Rieg said, "This is the harsh punishment in this case, judge," as she handed Roth a stack of pictures of the girls. It showed them after they had been taken to the hospital.

"She sentenced these kids to the prison that they lived in," Rieg said.

More than the two stepdaughters were affected, Roth said, because Jennifer Wood had one of her children watch the girls to make sure they were not eating or drinking.

The crimes occurred after Jennifer Wood had been through parenting classes imposed on her by the state's child protective system before the girls were taken into protective custody, Roth said.

There was no evidence that she was mentally impaired, he said.

The case drew wide attention.

Wichita school officials said they had reported concerns about the girls to social workers starting 10 months before the Woods werearrested. The girls were removed from their south Wichita home after a state social worker found them in what was described as an advanced state of malnutrition. The social worker called police.

A Wichita hospital doctor told police that the girls apparently hadn't eaten in six days or had anything to drink in three days, despite 100-degree temperatures.

Only July 31, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius ordered an investigation into how the state's child-protection system handled the case. The investigation prompted agencywide reforms in the way workers investigate child abuse reports. Several people in the Wichita SRS office were disciplined.

In an October hearing, Roth said, "If anything, the material presented to this court makes a compelling case of how SRS failed these two girls miserably."

On Friday, Rieg, the prosecutor, said: "These two children didn't sign up to be poster children for the SRS debacle....

"They're messed up for life.

"Nothing... will repair the damage that was done by Alex and Jennifer Wood."

District Judge James Burgess, who has handled the custody case involving the girls, could not be reached for comment Friday.

When reached months ago, he said the girls were doing well and remained in state custody. A decision on their long-term custody won't occur until the criminal case is resolved, he said at the time.

Reach Tim Potter at 316-268-6684 or tpotter@wichitaeagle.com [mailto:tpotter@wichitaeagle.com].

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