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Gilbert woman sentenced for abusing adopted son

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PHOENIX (AP) — A Gilbert woman has been sentenced to 13 ½ years in prison and lifetime probation for abusing her adopted son.

Maricopa County prosecutors say 40-year-old Jennifer Barnes was sentenced Friday.

Court paperwork showed the victim was physically and sexually abused by Barnes, who was arrested in September 2011 when the boy was 10.

The boy told police that Barnes allegedly put feces in his mouth and taped it shut, burned sensitive areas of his body with a lighter and curling iron and violated him with a toothbrush.

Police say the boy described multiple incidents of abuse so severe it caused him to bleed and a physical exam discovered scarring consistent with his account of the abuse.

Barnes reportedly was the child's only caregiver during the time of the alleged abuse.

2013 May 31