Port Charlotte man sentenced to 10 years for abusing girlfriend’s 6-month-old

A Port Charlotte man was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison for abusing his girlfriend’s 6-month-old child in 2020.

Joseph Anthony Brooks, 29, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the charge of aggravated child neglect, followed by five years of probation. He was also sentenced to five years in prison for one count of child abuse, to be served concurrently. He was found guilty in August following a trial in Charlotte County.

On Feb. 20, 2020, Brooks was babysitting a 6-month-old child. While in his care, the child
stopped breathing. Instead of calling 911, the defendant called the child’s mother. She called her nearby sister, who rushed the child to the hospital. Doctors discovered the baby had recent abusive head trauma. Brooks had been watching the child numerous times for a couple of months.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which led to Brooks’ arrest.