NEWS

Child neglect case called one of 'most atrocious'

Anderson father sentenced to 20 years for severely malnourished children; his attorney said he 'got overwhelmed' by mental health issues.

Marisa Kwiatkowski
IndyStar

An Anderson man will serve 20 years in prison for child neglect in a case described as "one of the most atrocious" a deputy prosecutor had ever seen.

On Monday, Madison Circuit Court Judge David Happe sentenced Stephen Auker to 20 years in prison followed by eight years of probation. Auker pleaded guilty earlier this month to four counts of felony neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, Madison Circuit Court records show.

"This was one of the most atrocious cases I’ve ever seen," said Jennifer Haley, the Madison County deputy prosecutor who handled the case. "I’ve had a lot of dead bodies. This was worse."

When they were taken into protective custody in June, Auker's 2-year-old twins couldn't walk, talk, crawl, stand or eat with utensils, according to police records. Doctors at St. Vincent Anderson Regional Hospital determined the children were suffering from extreme malnutrition and extensive physical and mental developmental delays.

The health of Auker’s other two children, ages 5 and 6, was in “rapid decline” — though not as severe as the twins’ health, police said.

"When you compare the sentence in terms of what the children seemed to face, I can see how people would think that’s fair, or even on the light side," Auker's attorney, Jimmy McDole, said of the prison sentence. "My take is it was really just a bad combination of a lot of problems."

McDole said Auker did not intend to neglect his kids but "got overwhelmed" by mental health issues, lack of financial support and the number of children in his care. In court, Auker told the judge he was glad his children were being taken care of.

The children's mother, Kimberly Robinson, also was charged with four felony counts of neglect of a dependent. Her case is pending, Madison Circuit Court records show.

Call Star reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski at (317) 444-6135. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyMarisaK.

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