A 27-year-old Aurora man has been sentenced to three years in prison for neglect of his son and violating the state’s sex offender registration and residency laws.
Bryan M. Berg pleaded guilty to felony counts of child neglect, failure to register as a sex offender and being a prior offender residing within 1,000 feet of an elementary school.
Berg and his son’s 21-year-old mother, Sheyanne Crossland, came to the attention of child welfare investigators in May 2018 when the 1-year-old boy was admitted to a hospital for failure to thrive and an untreated illness.
The boy, who was born at 7 pounds and 4 ounces, checked in at just 11 pounds a year later, according to a probable-cause affidavit. The baby had been diagnosed with torticollis — a congenital muscular condition — and was supposed to have been receiving treatment. But his parents had failed to have him treated, according to the affidavit.
Hospital staff reported the matter to the state’s child abuse hotline when it became apparent neither parent seemed to know how to feed and care for their baby.
During an the investigation of the case, Aurora-Marionville police also discovered that Berg was a convicted sex offender who had failed to register his address with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department and was residing within 1,000 feet of a school.
The mother also initially was charged with child neglect. The charge against her has since been dismissed.
