A Wheelersburg woman has been sentenced to four years in prison for her role in a child endangering case.

Carolyn Ruggles, 19, of 1825 Apt. B, Dogwood Ridge, Wheelersburg, was indicted on Nov. 21, 2006, along with her live-in boyfriend, Tyler C. Hodge, 21, of the same address, who also has an address of 2712 Ritchie Street.

“On Nov. 4, 2006, the Scioto County Sheriff's office responded to a 911 call that six-month-old Brooke Ruggles had stopped breathing,” Scioto County Prosecutor Mark Kuhn said. “Deputies observed injuries including bruises determined to be hand-print bruises. The body also had internal injuries, both in the brain and old fractured bones that had healed.”

The child was life-flighted to Children's Hospital in Columbus.

Kuhn said Ruggles entered a guilty plea on a felony three child endangering charge in Judge William T. Marshall's Common Pleas Court on January 24, and was sentenced to four years in prison.

“She'll be eligible for early release if she does what she's supposed to do while she's incarcerated,” Kuhn said.

Two stipulations were made in the sentencing decree. One ordered that Ruggles be given credit for 57 days served, and the other was that she is not eligible for the IPP program.

Kuhn said IPP stands for Intensive Prison Program, a 90- day boot camp type of program, that when it is completed, allows the subject not to have to serve their sentence.

Hodge, who is charged with felonious assault and child endangering, appeared at his last pretrial Jan. 26, 2007.

“On Jan. 24 Hodge filed a motion for a competency evaluation,” Kuhn said. “And that usually takes around 30 days, and then the judge will decide if he's competent to stand trial.”

Hodge is being held in Scioto County jail under a $100,000 cash or surety bond.

FRANK LEWIS can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.