VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Volusia County woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the death of her 5-month-old son, who was hit repeatedly and dropped on the floor when he wouldn’t stop crying.
Stephanie Holly, 37, pleaded no contest to charges of neglect of a child causing great bodily harm, failure to report child abuse/neglect and culpable negligence expose injury, according to the State Attorney’s Office for Volusia and Flagler counties.
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The infant’s father, Calib J. Scott, was found guilty earlier this year of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm. According to prosecutors, Scott was taking care of Damon in Ormond Beach in 2019 when the infant wouldn’t stop crying. Prosecutors said he then hit the 5-month-old repeatedly and dropped him on the floor to get him to stop crying.
When first responders got to the scene, they found Damon unresponsive and dehydrated. He was taken to nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the arrest report, while at the hospital, staff found the infant had bruises at various stages of healing, cuts on his face and a suspected cigarette burn behind his ear.
Holly, Scott’s ex-girlfriend, was arrested in 2020 in Michigan. Holly was questioned by Ormond Beach police in June 2019, when she and Scott called 911, reporting their child wasn’t breathing.
She told officers the child’s injuries were due to a box fan accidentally falling on his face. She added she was not aware of the child’s cigarette burn and explained she believed his injuries were “not that bad,” according to a police report.
Holly was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by 8 years of probation with inpatient treatment, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
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