PORT ANGELES — Sean Englebright, 30, was sentenced Wednesday to 12 months in jail after being convicted of assaulting his infant daughter, as Clallam County Superior Court Judge Simon Barnhart rejected prosecutors’ request for an exceptional 8-year prison term.
Jurors found Englebright guilty on Jan. 22 of two counts of third-degree assault of a child following a five-day trial in Clallam County Superior Court. The charges stemmed from injuries his 3½-month-old daughter suffered while she was in his care in 2019.
Barnhart imposed 12 months total on the two counts, to be served concurrently. The sentence fell at the top of the standard range of four to 12 months for each count.
He described the case as “horrific” and “inexcusable,” saying Englebright’s daughter suffered “in a way that a young child shouldn’t have to.”
Still, Barnhart said he could not “find a way through a deep search to rationalize prison time” beyond the one-year sentence.
“I’m not sure how you can sit there and tell me that you don’t know what you did,” Barnhart told Englebright.
Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jesse Espinoza had urged the court to depart from the standard sentencing range and impose 48-month sentences on each count, for a total of 96 months served consecutively.
Espinoza argued that a standard-range sentence would be “clearly too lenient” given the severity of the girl’s injuries — broken ribs and a broken femur — and her age.
“This was not just harm,” he said. “We’re talking about a 3½-month-old victim and we’re not talking about just one count, we’re talking about two counts.”
He pointed to jurors returning seven aggravating factors, including abuse of trust, vulnerability of the victim and prolonged abuse.
Over the objection of defense attorney John Hayden, Barnhart allowed Jessica Adams, the child’s great-aunt, to address the court about the care she required as she recovered from her injuries. Barnhart said it was appropriate to hear from someone who could describe what the child experienced.
Adams described buying larger diapers and clothing to fit around the girl’s body brace and administering medication every four hours.
“We had to learn how to hold her and how to lift her to minimize the pain,” Adams said. “We couldn’t burp her normal because of her broken ribs.”
Hayden pressed Barnhart to impose the minimum sentence and argued the state’s request amounted to punishment for its own sake.
“The state wants vengeance,” Hayden said.
“If in fact, Sean made this horrible mistake, that’s exactly what it was,” Hayden added. “A mistake, an accident, a negligent act.”
Englebright addressed the court before sentencing.
“I’m very sorry about what has happened to my daughter, I was unaware of what had happened,” he said. “I do take responsibility for not knowing and I wish I did.”
Barnhart ordered Englebright to complete state-certified parenting education and domestic violence perpetrator treatment. He also imposed a two-year no-contact order with the child, which may be revisited by family court.
He dismissed a remaining count on the state’s motion and declined to impose legal financial obligations after finding Englebright indigent.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com
