Aitken in June pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of obstructing official business, a fifth-degree felony. He was sentenced by Common Pleas Court Judge Stacy Wall.
Defense lawyer Jeremy Tomb asked Wall to stay imposition of the prison sentence because he planned an appeal. The stay was denied but would be considered when an appeal is filed, Wall said.
Aitken was an EMT and was familiar with his son’s condition and challenges faced in the monitoring and regulation of the diabetes since it was diagnosed when the boy was 5, Tomb said. He asked Wall to “take into consideration not just one day but this child’s life and the care he provided for him.”
Janna Parker, assistant county prosecutor, said Aitken should have known the boy was showing several symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition he had suffered in the past.
“He should have known being the parent of a diabetic,” she said.
The boy’s mother, who was divorced from the father, said Aitken should have known the signs of serious trouble and taken the boy to the hospital.
“My son is hurt and he will never be able to be repaired,” the mother said.
Wall said she did not find that Aitken intentionally tried to harm his son, but she did struggle with whether he was remorseful. She said she found doctor’s records of seeing the boy since 2010 “troubling” with remarks that Aitken was “not participating in your child’s care.” Wall also pointed to notations of recurring issues with monitors not being brought to appointments and evidence the boy was having problems managing the diabetes.
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