Prosecutor: Man held son in scalding water

Prosecutors said an Annapolis man held his 3-year-old stepson in scalding water last January, resulting in first- and second-degree burns to 47 percent of the child's body and requiring more than 14 surgeries and skin grafts.

But attorneys for Clarence Bennett, 25, say their client did not mean to hurt the boy, who is now 4 and living in Virginia. They noted that the burns were not immediately obvious to police and paramedics on Jan. 29, 2008, and that Mr. Bennett was the one who called 911 for help.

"There was no intent," Assistant Public Defender Shawn Gaither said yesterday in the county Circuit Courthouse in Annapolis. "Mr. Bennett called the police … when he realized something was wrong," he said.

Mr. Bennett, of Madison Street, went before a jury yesterday facing charges of first- and second-degree child abuse, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. If convicted of first-degree child abuse he faces up to 25 years in prison.

Assistant State's Attorney Kathleen Rogers said Mr. Bennett, who was watching the boy and his little sister while their mother was at work, got angry that the boy had gone to the bathroom on himself. She said Mr. Bennett gave the boy a scalding bath, going so far as to hold him in the hot water.

Mr. Bennett told police a different story. He said he left the child in the tub only to return 10 minutes later to find him unconscious in the water, according to court documents.

Mr. Gaither said his client is guilty only of reckless endangerment - a misdemeanor that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Paramedic Bradley Clark, who was one of the first people to treat the boy shortly after noon Jan. 29, testified yesterday he saw only two blisters on the child's foot. He said the boy was unconscious and limp when he arrived shortly after police.

The boy's mother testified she saw several blisters form on her son's legs, arms and torso in the span of about one hour that afternoon at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

The boy was in Baltimore-area hospitals from Jan. 29 until Dec. 22, his mother said. She added that he is still on a lot of medication and is dealing with a lot of pain and medical problems.

"He has to be very careful with how he plays so he doesn't open up any other spots," she said. "His skin is very sensitive."