Tosumba Welch, Jr., age 20, of Linton, was scheduled to be sentenced early this morning but the defense requested a continuance and the date of his sentencing has been reset. Welch could be facing up to 20 years.

Welch was charged with three counts of domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person under the age of 14, all Level 3 felonies, and one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, also a Level 3 felony – all in connection with his baby that had sustained very serious injuries.

This case was investigated by Detective Stacy Brown of the Indiana State Police.

After the unresponsive nine-month-old baby was airlifted to Riley Hospital last August, a doctor told the detective the baby’s skull resembled “a cracked egg shell.” The father was arrested shortly after and has remained in Greene County Jail since his arrest.

A trial date was set, but in late March a negotiated plea agreement, signed by Welch, his attorney and the prosecuting attorney, was submitted to the court. A pre-sentence investigation report has been underway in preparation for the upcoming change of plea and sentencing hearing.

Under the terms of the agreement, Welch is expected to plead guilty to two of the counts of domestic battery, both Level 3 felonies.

The agreement leaves it up to the judge whether the sentences on those two counts should be served concurrently/at the same time or consecutively/one after the other.

The lengths of the sentences are also left up to the judge’s discretion, however, it specifies the maximum sentence should not exceed a total of 20 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with the executed portion not to exceed 18 years.

Welch is still in the Greene County Jail and is now expected to be sentenced in Greene Superior Court in early August.

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