Wyatt, Mo., man sentenced to 10 years in prison

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A Wyatt man was sentenced to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on Monday for child abuse, assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Jeff Hemphill, 27, was sentenced in the Circuit Court of Mississippi County by Judge David Dolan after being found guilty in a jury trial Aug. 23.

Hemphill was sentenced to 10 years for two charges of first-degree assault and was sentenced to seven years on the child abuse charges. He also was sentenced to seven years for the two charges of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Mississippi County Prosecuting Attorney Darren Cann. The sentences will run concurrently.

The charges stem from December 2011, when Hemphill's 3-month-old daughter was seen by a doctor for a lump on her chest. During her treatment, the doctor discovered she had multiple fractures: right clavicle, five fractured ribs and a fractured right femur. The doctor said the fractures were in varying stages of healing.

During an interview with officer Brian Bailey of the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team, Hemphill gave conflicting accounts, then gave implicating statements.