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Stanaford man sentenced for child abuse causing serious injury

Aug. 10--Nearly four years to the date after a 3-year-old boy was severely beaten, the man responsible was sentenced to prison.

Tommy Elvis Vance Jr., 40, of Stanaford, who pleaded guilty in May to unlawful wounding and child abuse causing serious bodily injury, was sentenced to serve three to 15 years.

During Thursday's hearing in Raleigh County Circuit Court, Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Keller urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence.

"It's an understatement to say he's a bully," she said. "Both of the child's eyes were completely black and swollen shut, and his face had massive bruising."

Keller said the young victim's injuries were first documented Aug. 10, 2014, at MedExpress. He was later transported to Charleston. Keller said the child told an emergency room nurse, "Tommy hit me."

The child was also severely emotionally distressed, Keller said. After reciting a lengthy list of injuries, internal and external, she said, "There was not a part of his body that wasn't bruised."

Vance was the live-in boyfriend of the child's mother, Alanna Mia Johnson, of Matoaka. After the injuries were inflicted, Johnson waited three days to seek medical care for her son. Johnson told doctors her son's injuries were due to a fall, but Keller said a doctor reported the child's injuries could not have been sustained even from a fall from a second story window.

When charges were filed, Vance corroborated Johnson's story that he was alone with the child.

During Thursday's hearing, Keller also cited Vance's criminal history, including many drug-related convictions. The victim's biological father, Robert Lund, then gave a statement to the court.

"This was not a one time thing," Lund said. "This was happening for at least six months leading up to this incident."

Lund said he filed multiple complaints and domestic violence petitions after the child returned home with "obvious signs of child abuse."

After the beating, Lund said his son had to re-learn how to walk. Now, at nearly 8 years old, the child still struggles with fine motor skills.

"He has trouble keeping up with kids in gym class and in sports," Lund said. "We can't know definitely if they're a result of the injuries, but we were given warning that it could happen."

Johnson, the child's mother, pleaded guilty in December 2015 to misdemeanor child neglect. She was given three years probation with an underlying sentence of 18 months in jail.

Lund called the sentence a "slap on the wrist," and urged the judge to consider the impact the attack had on his son.

"Give my son and my family justice, Your Honor."

In a final plea to the court, Vance apologized for his crime. He said, "I was messed up on drugs."

Judge Robert A. Burnside Jr. sentenced Vance to two to 10 years for child abuse causing serious bodily injury, and one to five years for unlawful wounding, to run consecutively. Burnside also imposed a $5,000 fine; 50 years of intense parole supervision; and placement on the child abuse registry.

Vance was represented by Matthew Bradford and Kyle Lusk.

-- Email: wholdren@register-herald.com and follow on Twitter @WendyHoldren

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