Michael Abo pleaded Guilty on Wednesday. He is guilty of beating a 4-year old boy nearly to death on New Year’s Eve 2013. The abuse caused permanent, life-altering damage to his girlfriend’s young son, which he admits to.
This week, he was sentenced 7.5 years for his crime. Some say, not nearly long enough.
Abo is an ex-Deputy Sheriff from Yamhill County, and was living in Sheridan, Oregon with girlfriend Brandy Robertson and her son at the time of the incident.
This week, the little boy’s family law attorney, Meghan S. Bishop, told the court that he will need care for the rest of his life, and though he wants to be like a normal child going to kindergarten and eventually to prom, “he won’t be able to.” He has suffered life-altering injuries and is experiencing post-traumatic stress.
Robertson is not a completely innocent party in this ordeal; she was indicted by the Yamhill County grand jury in January 2014. Last month, she plead guilty to two counts of second-degree criminal mistreatment.
Robertson admitted that she unlawfully and intentionally or knowingly withheld care for her child or medical attention. She said Abo threatened her, and she was afraid of him.
Robertson initially told detectives Abo had tried to explain to her that Noah’s bruising was caused while teaching the boy how to wrestle. She said in court that she should have known about the abuse and should have reported it. She will serve a short jail sentence as part of her plea deal.