Ricky Dean SmithMan sentenced for child abuse
BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. – A Bradley County man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison after pleading “no contest” to a charge of aggravated child abuse.
Ricky Dean Smith, 23, was sentenced by Bradley County Criminal Court Judge Carroll Ross.
Smith was arrested by detectives on Jan. 4, 2013, the day that a 5-week-old child was admitted to T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga with skull fractures and bleeding on the brain, a news release from the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office stated.
The release said the investigation showed Smith to be responsible for the child’s injuries, and he was indicted by a Bradley County grand jury.
Smith has been in the county jail under a judge’s order of no bond.