Navajo Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Severe Child Abuse

PHOENIX—On June 1, 2012, Royce Paul Paddock, 37, of Tuba City Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 20 years in federal prison. Paddock pleaded guilty on March 2, 2012 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

In December 2009, Paddock, the guardian of the 5-year-old victim, took the victim to the hospital with a broken leg. A medical examination of the victim revealed that over the previous 18 months, the victim had been subjected to ongoing physical abuse, including multiple untreated fractures and beatings that resulted in permanent scarring. Paddock admitted that he caused the injuries and failed to obtain medical care for the victim.

The investigation in this case was conducted the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Dyanne C. Greer and Sharon K. Sexton, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.