Man who beat toddler gets 3.5 years in prison

A Vancouver man who pleaded guilty to abusing his girlfriend’s 6-month-old son was sentenced Wednesday to more than 3 ½ years in prison.

Michael B. Willett, 38, was sentenced after pleading guilty Wednesday to two counts of second-degree assault.

According to court records, police were first contacted October 2017, when Child Protective Services notified them about a baby who came into Doernbecher Children’s Hospital with suspicious injuries.

An exam found the boy had numerous healing rib fractures, left and right femur fractures, left and right tibia fractures and a traumatic injury to his spine along his neck, which caused an epidural hematoma resulting in some paralysis, according to court records.

Willett lived with the boy’s mother and looked after the baby boy and his two sisters while she worked.

Further investigation found a history of other injuries to the boy, spotted by the mother or other family, over several months, according to court records.

Superior Court Judge Gregory Gonzales, agreeing to a plea agreement arranged between the prosecutor’s office and Willett’s attorney, sentenced him to 43 months in prison.