LEBANON, Ohio —
A West Chester chiropractor was sentenced to eight years in prison for physically abusing his newborn daughter.
Jason Bittner, 34, pleaded guilty in October to endangering children. He said he shook his 3-month-old daughter last February after she wouldn't stop crying.
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"I'm sorry you hate me," Bittner said.
Bittner said his business was failing, his family was struggling financially and he snapped when he shook his daughter in the family's Mason home last winter.
"I couldn't handle the constant screams on top of everything else that was raining down on my life. It was three and four hours a day, nonstop, no matter what I did," Bittner said. "I couldn't hang in there, and I just could not hang in there, and I broke down."
Defense attorney Steve Adams said Bittner was abused as a child and predisposed to have a mental breakdown.
"And he did," Adams said. "He snapped. He wasn't himself."
Prosecutors said Bittner lied to his wife about their daughter's injuries and discouraged his wife from getting the child treatment.
"For 48 hours after assaulting his daughter, he watched his child have uncontrollable seizures, continued vomiting and other significant symptoms, but rather than help her, he continued to lie to his wife and actively prevented his daughter from getting treatment because he didn't want to get in trouble. That's who Jason Bittner really is," assistant prosecutor Steven Knippen said. "He chose, despite how critical her condition was, to deny her treatment in an effort to protect himself."
The child spent days in ICU at Children's Hospital with a brain injury, breathing tube and 28 rib fractures.
"What I did to (my daughter) is so wrong, horrible, and I think I deserve death for this," Bittner said.
Minutes after speaking those words, Bittner spoke of God and how he will forgive him.
"Years from now, the Lord will redeem this. I know this. My savior Jesus will redeem all of this and everything that was lost will be brought back," Bittner said.
He then asked Judge Tim Tepe to give him a chance.
"It will be such a great day. When the court gives me an opportunity, I'm going to be the kind of dad that adult women dreamed of having when they were little girls," Bittner said. "I ask for my daughters' sake that you don't trash my life completely. Don't snuff me out. Don't put me all the way down. Don't hurt my daughters that way. Give me a chance."
During sentencing, prosecutors read messages they said they found on Bittner's phone.
"I was heartbroken when (my daughter) was born, because I wanted a son so bad," Knippen said as he read the message
Bittner admitted he wanted sons when both of his daughters were born, and said he never had a chance to fall in love with the younger of the two, the one who doctors said could have disabilities the rest of her life.
"Your sentence will long be over with and (your daughter) will continue to live with whatever disadvantage or disability you had inflicted upon her," Tepe said.
Tepe sentenced Bittner to the maximum of eight years. Bittner was taken into custody immediately.