DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — In a Davidson County courtroom Tuesday, a judge accepted a guilty plea for Sarah Starr.
Starr is the stepmom of the nine-year-old boy in Davidson County who was kept in a dog crate outside.
The ADA said this is the worst child abuse case she’s ever seen.
In one instance, court documents explained that Sarah Starr grabbed the child's head and yanked it backward, dousing his face with water as punishment.
The ADA mentioned Tuesday that the boy also wasn't fed. When he was, it was spicy food only, as a way of punishment.
Sarah Starr will face a minimum of nine years behind bars. Once her sentence is completed, she will have at least three years of probation. The judge also ordered her to have a mental health evaluation, anger management classes, and no contact with her nine-year-old stepson who is the victim in this case
If Starr pleaded not guilty, there would have been a trial. The judge acknowledged that the reason for the plea agreement is mostly to protect the victim who is the nine-year-old boy.
Starr pleaded guilty to three counts of negligent child abuse inflicting serious mental and emotional injury, and two counts of child abuse inflicting injury.
Judge Richard Gottlieb presided over the case. He said:
"I wish I could offer solace to the ladies and gentlemen, living with this case. I have seen murders and rapes; I deal with all sorts of horrific abuses. When I get angry, I get emotional. Clearly, that’s the case now. I’ve never seen or experienced something quite so horrific. As a parent, I am horrified. I am speechless. This will haunt me for the rest of my judicial career.”
Other children also lived in the home at the time of the abuse of the nine-year-old. All of those children are now living elsewhere.
Starr was pregnant at the time of her arrest back in October of 2022. While incarcerated, Starr had the baby and has since been adopted out-of-state.
As for the 9-year-old, the district attorney's office said he now lives in California with his grandfather and is said to be thriving since being removed from the home in Davidson County.
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