A former sergeant stationed at Fort Campbell has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for aggravated child neglect.
29-year-old Andrew Garasich, of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, was charged with severely burning his two-year-old child by bathing him in water so hot that the baby’s skin peeled off his body. Prosecutors say the infant did not receive medical treatment for five days after the bath, and when the baby was finally taken to the Houston County Community Hospital for medical treatment, Garasich did not accompany him.
Acting U.S. Attorney McGuire says the child is now in a loving home but will face lifelong struggles because of Garasich’s choices.
Garasich was a former sergeant (E-5) who had no prior criminal convictions, but did have a previous case with the Department of Children’s Services involving another child in 2019.
Garasich’s co-defendant, the child’s mother, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 5.
