Rhode Island woman sentenced for seriously injuring toddler

SEEKONK, Mass. (WLNE) — The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said a 37-year-old woman was sentenced to state prison this month for seriously harming her child.

Officials said Jobe Robinson, a former resident of Pawtucket and Providence pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court on March 3 to charges of assault and battery on a child causing serious bodily injury, permitting injury to a child, reckless endangerment of a child and assault and battery.

Court documents said in January of 2019, Warwick police responded to a call for overstaying guests in a motel.

Responders said they found three children between the ages of 16 months and 14-years-old alone in the room. Their mother was at a methadone clinic at the time and got in a physical fight that cause a car crash on her way back.

Officials in Rhode Island said they immediately took custody of the children.

The youngest child was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and doctors said they found he sustained the following injuries:

• Injuries to his skin
• Tissue damage in his leg
• A deformity on his thigh
• Three broken bones

They also said he was extremely underweight for his age. Doctors further determined the injuries could not have been sustained from falling off a bed like Robinson claimed.

When interviewed, the two older children told police the toddler’s injuries occurred while they were staying at the Ramada Inn in Seekonk.

The children stated Robinson would bend the toddlers legs behind his head and then twist the legs on multiple occasions.

They also reported Robinson would hold the toddler up then let him fall. She also withheld food from the toddler.

Seekonk paramedics confirmed the timing of the injuries as they recalled seeing fresh bandages on the toddlers legs when responding to a call for Robinson when she fell in the shower.

The tissue damage to the toddlers legs was later determined to be caused by those bandages being applied too tightly, medical officials said.

Robinson was sentenced to serve two to four years in state prison, followed by five years of supervised probation.

She was also ordered to have no contact with the children unless authorized to do so by Rhode Island DCYF or Massachusetts DCF.