Local Woman Enters Plea to Child Abuse; Torture Charge DroppedLocal Woman Enters Plea to Child Abuse; Torture Charge Dropped

2/8/13 - A Livingston County woman accused of severely abusing her young step-grandson has entered into a plea deal. 36-year-old Sara Rae Walters of Oceola Township pleaded no contest to 1st degree child abuse in exchange for a charge of torture involving the toddler being dismissed by prosecutors. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such during sentencing. Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty accepted the plea but revoked her bond today and remanded Walters to the Livingston County Jail. She’ll be sentenced March 21st. Authorities say the 3-year-old boy suffered more than 60 different injuries, including blood on the surface of his brain, while in Walters’ care. His core body temperature was also just 88 degrees. Walters was taking the child to the hospital on October 21st of 2011 when he stopped breathing. She pulled off US-23 and called 911. Paramedics revived the child and took him to the University of Michigan Hospital, where doctors discovered the injuries. The charges against her came after a three-month investigation. (JM)