Plea deal earns probation for Scott Co. man accused of child abuse

Plea deal earns probation for Scott Co. man accused of child abuse

October 9, 2007

HUNTSVILLE (WATE) -- A man charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect in Scott County has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years probation after he accepted a plea deal on a lesser charge.

Aaron Mann pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of aggravated assault, a class C felony.

Mann will be under house arrest for six months, then on supervised probation for a year and on unsupervised probation for a year-and-a-half. He's also required to wear an electronic bracelet.

Mann and his wife, Linda Mann, were accused in 2004 of hitting their adopted daughter on the head and arms with a pipe and beating her several times. The girl was 13 at the time.

The girl testified against the couple in court in August 2004, saying some of the Manns' five adopted children were fed more than others. She said she climbed in a window and took food from a neighbor's house, until they found out and told the Manns.

In his plea deal, Aaron Man surrendered parental rights to the children and he's not allowed to have any more foster children.

At the bottom of the agreement, Mann crossed out a statement that reads, "I am pleading guilty because I committed the acts the acts constituting the offense(s) to which I am pleading guilty."

He wrote instead, "I am pleading because it is in my best interest to do so."

The charges against Linda Mann were dismissed.