ESCANABA — An Escanaba man was sentenced to prison Monday for severely injuring his infant son in January.

Jerry Jay Munger III , 22, was sentenced to six years, eight months, to 10 years in prison for second degree child abuse by Judge John Economopoulos in Delta County Circuit Court Monday. He will receive credit for 130 days served in the Delta County Jail.

Munger has been jailed on a $650,000 bond since he was arrested Jan. 29. Munger was arrested by Escanaba Public Safety officers after he and his girlfriend, Melisah Marie Jenkins, 21, brought their 8 month old son to the emergency room at OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital. The child was diagnosed with a black eye, fractured skull, bruises on his body and a healing rib fracture.

Jenkins was not charged and both she and Munger later gave up parental rights to the child after hearings in Delta County Probate Court.

Jenkins initially said she did not know how the child was injured, but later told police she had witnessed Munger throwing the boy into his crib face down, pushing down on his back, slapping the child, and pinning him to the wall by his neck.

During a court hearing in April, Munger admitted to injuring his son and pleaded no contest to second degree child abuse.

Economopoulos called the case “a tragedy all the way around” when sentencing Munger.

“The duty that you have to your child is sacred,” Economopoulos said, adding Munger had violated that trust.

“I want to say I’m sorry for what happened,” Munger told the court. “I wish I could take everything back.”

Delta County Assistant Prosecutor Jessica Pelto noted the child suffered significant head trauma and other injuries. She said the injuries will continue to impact the child’s life in years to come because he will have a higher risk of death and neurological problems.

The child is currently in foster care with persons who intend to adopt him, Pelto told the court. She said the child is currently receiving mental health treatment.

“We don’t know yet whether this child has psychological injuries,” she said.

Munger’s attorney, Timothy Cain, reminded the court that his client is taking responsibility for his actions. He did not go to trial, and pleaded no contest to the child abuse charge instead.

Cain also said his client has mental health issues that make him susceptible to blackouts and does not have a clear memory of the events that day.