Orangeburg man sentenced for breaking child’s bones

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WCSC) - An Orangeburg man was found guilty of unlawful neglect of a child after four hours of jury deliberation, the first circuit solicitor’s office said.

Kareem Wallace, 43, was sentenced to two years in prison and 30 months of probation.

Prosecutors said Wallace, in 2018, was left to care for his 3-month-old girl while his girlfriend took another child to school around 7:45 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2018.

The mother returned home to the girl crying and with a limp arm, prosecutors said. The mother took the girl to an area hospital where the staff suspected child abuse and transferred the child to a children’s hospital in Columbia.

The hospital discovered the girl had a fractured arm, a broken collarbone and two fractures in one leg. Medical staff determined the girl’s injuries were non-accidental and caused by twisting or jerking and vigorous shaking.

Prosecutors were seeking the maximum sentence of ten years for Wallace.

“This defenseless 3-month-old baby didn’t deserve what happened to her,” prosecutor Catherine Hunter said. “It is heartbreaking. I am very grateful for the medical staff who treated her and the Orangeburg Sheriff’s Office for their hard work on this difficult case.”

Judge Eugene Griffith said he felt the incident was a “one off” when deciding Wallace’s sentencing.

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