Kalispell man sent to prison for breaking child's arm
A Kalispell man has been sentenced to four years in prison for breaking a 3-year-old’s arm who was in his care.
Christopher James Brafford, 29, received credit for 191 days time served and was required to pay restitution by Judge Amy Eddy on Aug. 17 in Flathead District Court.
Eddy said Brafford’s conduct, and the severity of the injury the child of his then-girlfriend suffered, was “beyond just an angry outburst.”
“Those injuries are far beyond of what one would expect of a parent whose simply exhausted and tired of parenting, which happens to all of us sometimes — we get tired and exhausted — but those children were in your care and you were responsible for their well being,” Eddy said. “Good luck.”
According to court documents, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Kalispell Regional Medical Center on Feb. 7 for a report of a child with a spiral fracture of her arm. The victim’s mother said that Brafford, who was living with her at the time, had called her at work and said he had been trying to spank the child when she twisted from his grasp and he heard a popping sound come from her arm. The deputy took photos of the child’s injuries, which included a mark resembling and adult’s hand on her face. While taking photos of the mark on her face the victim reportedly said “that’s where Chris smacked me.”
Brafford was charged with felony assault on a minor.
The state had initially recommended a five-year prison sentence. Prosecutor Andrew Clegg said it was an appropriate recommendation given the violent nature of the offense.
“I believe he’s minimized his role in this since the beginning and he blames the 3-year-old for lying to him,” Clegg said prior to sentencing.
Defense attorney Alisha Backus had recommended a five-year sentence with the Department of Corrections with all time suspended, citing that a prison sentence would delay his integration into the community and wouldn’t set him up for success. Backus said a mental health evaluation showed Brafford was not a high risk and added that Brafford accepted responsibility for the incident.
Prior to sentencing, witnesses for the defense provided testimony by phone, including Dr. Laura Kirsch, a clinical psychologist who conducted a mental health evaluation of Brafford.
“My diagnoses at the time that I met with him was that he was suffering from major depression,” Kirsch said.
Kirsch said Backus would be successful with supervision, had a “good attitude toward treatment,” and seemed “quite motivated” to make changes in his life to regain custody of his own child.
Brafford also took the stand prior to sentencing and read from a written statement apologizing to the victim’s family. Brafford admitted to breaking the victim’s arm and hitting her in the face out of frustration because she reportedly kept lying to him.
“I tell myself daily that there are 100 things I could have done differently. Bottom line is I broke her arm out of frustration, tiredness, depression and I can never change that. But I can change what will happen in the future. For that to happen I have to look at what happened and not allow myself to end up in those predicaments again. I will have to keep myself from running myself to the ground and not working graveyard shifts and then trying to stay up all day,” Brafford said, later adding. “[And] don’t allow myself to get into relationship with someone while I’m not stable mentally, and physically, and emotionally...”
The victim’s mother was the last to take the stand on behalf of the prosecution and said her daughter was healing well physically, but suffered from severe separation anxiety as a result of the assault. The victim’s mother also said she believed that the state’s recommendation of a five-year sentence was warranted.
Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.