Child beater gets maximum sentence

Convicted of beating a child nearly to death, Kristopher Stevens will live for 10 years in the state prison before he's even considered for release.

On Thursday, District Judge Kitty Curtis sentenced Stevens, 29, to the maximum sentence of 20 years and made him ineligible for parole for 10 years. Normally, an inmate might be considered for parole after serving five years of a 20-year sentence.

County Attorney Ed Corrigan recommended the maximum sentence, saying he's only sorry the law doesn't allow a longer sentence on an aggravated assault charge.

"I don't think 20 years is sufficiently long, but that's all the Legislature allowed," Corrigan said.

Stevens said he was so intoxicated he doesn't remember beating his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter so savagely that she wound up in intensive care.

He said he recalls striking her once. Initially, he admitted punching the girl when she wouldn't go to bed.

But photos of the child and medical reports tell of a long and furious attack at the girl's home on Lake Blaine Drive on Aug. 29.

Her liver was damaged and her lungs were filled with fluid - either from her own vomit after the beating or from a swimming pool outside the home where the girl said Stevens held her head underwater.

Photos show the child's bruised and swollen face beneath a respirator that breathed for her at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. The girl is now at home recovering from her injuries

Corrigan said he recommended the lengthy sentence both because of the nature of the crime and to "make sure he's locked up for long enough for [the girl] to feel safe."

The 4-year-old's mother was at work while Stevens was brutalizing the girl.

There are heroes in the story, though.

Three teenage girls were baby-sitting the girl and her younger sister that night. When Stevens arrived at the home, they were concerned about leaving the children with him because he was so intoxicated, Corrigan said.

Vanessa and Danielle Schutte and Katelyn Worth called Worth's mother for a ride home because they were afraid to let Stevens drive them, Corrigan said.

And then they did something that saved a little girl's life: They called the child's mother at work and told her their fears for the child's safety.

She left work and went home, where she reportedly found her daughter in a fetal position on the floor, covered with blood and vomit.

"But for these girls calling and immediate medical attention, she would have died," Corrigan said.

Stevens entered a no-contest plea to the charge of aggravated assault, acknowledging that there was enough evidence to convict him, but not directly admitting guilt.

He has no prior criminal record.

Stevens was represented by Kalispell attorney Dean Knapton.

Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com