Granby man takes plea deal granting probation in child abuse case

Jeff Lehr, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·1 min read

Jun. 30—NEOSHO, Mo. — A 33-year-old man charged with physical abuse of an 8-year-old boy pleaded guilty to a reduced charge Tuesday and was placed on probation.

Isaiah M. Asbill, of Granby, pleaded guilty in Newton County Circuit Court to a misdemeanor count of assault in a plea deal with the prosecutor's office and was granted a suspended imposition of sentence and placed on probation for two years by Judge Jacob Skouby.

Asbill had been charged with a felony count of abuse for spanking the boy so hard in May 2020 that he left hand marks and bruising on his bottom and legs. The child said that Asbill also had slammed his head into the wall while he was lying on a bed, which the defendant denied having done, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

The prosecutor's office said the plea offer was made when the boy's family indicated concern with requiring him to undergo the stress of having to testify in court.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.