Kansas City man sentenced to 12 years for scalding child with hot water

A Kansas City man who admitted to scalding a 2-year-old child with hot water three years ago was sentenced Thursday in Platte County Circuit Court to 12 years in prison.

Daniel A. Rose, 32, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault for the incident. Officers were sent to a residence in the 7600 block of Northwest Milrey Drive in March 2013 to investigate a child abuse allegation.

Rose told officers he had been watching his girlfriend’s child when he noticed a rash. Rose didn’t call 911. Instead he called the child’s mother, who was at work.

Rose took a picture of the rash and texted it to the child’s mother. She rushed home and took the child to Children’s Mercy Hospital. The child was treated for first- and second-degree burns, including on the child’s genitals and buttocks, which had blistered, Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said in a news release.

The burns covered 20 percent of the child’s body, according to the release, and emergency room staff said the child’s injuries were consistent with being dunked in hot water.

When questioned, Rose changed his story about how the injuries occurred. Rose said the child had a soiled diaper and fell into the tub while he was drawing a bath. The emergency room physician said the child’s injuries were not accidental.

“This is a truly heartbreaking case of child abuse,” Zahnd said. “This young child will carry the physical and emotional scars of this awful crime for the rest of his life.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 11:34 AM.