By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch A 26-year-old Roy man is going to prison for 16 years for beating his infant daughter and putting her in a freezer because he was tired. Tyler James Deutsch pleaded guilty Jan. 31 to assault of a child in the first degree. His prison sentence was handed down March 21 in Pierce County Superior Court. County authorities said the baby, who was in the freezer long enough for her body temperature to drop to 85 degrees, also suffered a broken arm, a broken leg and a head injury at the hands of Deutsch. Though the child, who is still less than a year old, "has fully recovered, this was a horrible and inexplicable crime," said Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist. Authorities gave this account of the case: On May 25, 2013, Pierce County Sheriff Department deputies and local paramedics were sent to a home in Roy after the baby's mother, who lived with Deutsch, reported she'd returned home after being gone that afternoon for about two hours and saw Deutsch rush to the freezer and remove their daughter, who was then six weeks old. The girl was wearing only a diaper and was blistered. The mother tried to call for help, but Deutsch took the phone and told her he didn't want to get in trouble. The mother left and had neighbors call 9-1-1.. Deutsch was tired and wanted to take a nap, but the baby was crying, so he put her in the freezer and closed the door. He went to the bedroom and fell asleep before waking up when the mother returned. Authorities said a thermometer in the freezer read 10 degrees. Its other contents were a bag of cauliflower and a partial bag of ice. Prosecutors initially charged Deutsch with assault of a child, criminal mistreatment and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence. He pleaded not guilty in an arraignment last May, but in January changed his plea to guilty on the lone assault charge.
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