Woman who injured newborn sentenced to three years prison

LIMA — A Kentucky woman with ties to Delphos was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after pleading guilty in August to a third-degree felony charge of endangering children.

Allen County Assistant Prosecutor Joe Everhart said the state wanted Amber Carpenter, 34, to receive the maximum sentence, which was three years in prison, while Carpenter’s attorney, Stephen Chamberlain of the Allen County Public Defender’s Office, argued for a probation sentence.

Carpenter said she was using drugs at the time she allegedly struck a one-month-old child in September 2019, causing the child to receive a skull fracture. The child had to be transported by helicopter to a hospital, and she now has developmental delays and autism, according to a victim impact statement from the child’s guardian, which was read in court before sentencing.

“Children are not safe in her care, and no child should have to take that risk,” the victim impact statement read.

The Allen County Common Pleas Court hearing also discussed a previous charge against Carpenter in Kentucky in 2011, when Carpenter was charged with unlawful transaction with a minor, a first-degree felony, for giving a 17-year-old girl drugs and alcohol.

Carpenter apologized and asked for forgiveness, saying, “I’m not who I was five years ago.”

Her three-year prison term is not mandatory, meaning after six months, Carpenter will be eligible to apply for judicial release. The sentencing also specifies Carpenter is not allowed to have any contact with the victim.