A Mount Joy man was sentenced to 33 months to eight years in state prison after he pleaded guilty earlier this year to assaulting his infant daughter, leaving her with broken bones and internal bleeding.
Judge Merrill Spahn sentenced Bryan Garcia-Almanza, of the 400 block of Charter Lane, on Friday after he pleaded guilty in January to two counts of aggravated assault of a child and one count of endangering the welfare of children.
“The injuries that your child suffered are absolutely horrific,” Judge Spahn told Garcia-Almanza in handing down his sentence.
While noting that Garcia-Almanza cooperated with the police investigation and was remorseful for his actions after being arrested, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Ponessa, who prosecuted the case, noted that he never mentioned the origins of the victim’s injuries when she was brought to doctors who were unable to determine what caused an eye hemorrhage.
Additionally, Ponessa noted the extent of the victim’s injuries, which she called “very serious” and which indicated “repetitive” child abuse.
“This wasn’t just one time that he lost his temper,” Ponessa told the court.
Garcia-Almanza, 26, abused the victim on multiple occasions, causing serious injury at least three separate times, Ponessa noted.
Injuries to the child included fractures to five ribs, subdural hemorrhages and retinal hemorrhages. The injuries were discovered after a final incident in February 2024 when the victim was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, whose staff contacted Lancaster County Children and Youth Services.
Garcia-Almanza admitted to causing the injuries after speaking to police.
Speaking to the court prior to his sentencing, Garcia-Almanza said he “deeply understand[s] the impact of my actions” and that his primary goal is to become a better person in prison, adding that it “pains” him now to see his daughter suffering.
“It’s a constant reminder of what I did,” Garcia-Almanza told the court.
Though he agreed with Garcia-Almanza’s assessment that he “failed” as a father, Judge Spahn told him that his “story is not finished” and he can still become a productive parent and citizen.
Susquehanna Regional Police Detective Laurel Bair filed the charges.