3rd Re-Sentencing for Man Who Put Kids in Dryer

A Hutchinson man convicted of putting two children in a hot clothes dryer as punishment will be resentenced for the third time.

An appellate court has ordered the third sentencing hearing for Aaron Pritchard, who was convicted of child abuse in 2008 after he put his girlfriend’s 2- and 3-year-old children in the dryer when the younger child wet his pants. The boy suffered second-degree burns on his back.

The Hutchinson News reports the appeals court found Friday that a district judge did not correct errors made in previous sentences, involving how long Pritchard should be imprisoned.

The court agreed with Pritchard’s attorney, who argued the maximum sentence allowed should be just over five years, which means Pritchard could be released soon. No new sentencing date was set.