By Associated Press - Tuesday, October 1, 2019

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - A former Newton County sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to abusing his infant daughter.

Fifty-three-year-old Kenneth Rush, of Joplin, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to child abuse.

The Joplin Globe reports emergency responders were called to Rush’s home in December 2017 because his 2-month-old daughter was having trouble breathing.



She was transferred to a Kansas City hospital, where doctors found injuries indicating abusive head trauma.

A probable cause statement says Rush initially said he didn’t know how the child was hurt while he was with her.

Rush was fired as a sheriff’s deputy after the investigation began.

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Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com

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