Dewey Burton Convicted in Child-Scalding Case

A Knox County jury convicted Dewey Burton, 35, of Aggravated Child Neglect following a two-day trial. Assistant District Attorney Kit Rodgers of the Child Abuse Unit presented the State’s case in which a seventeen-month-old toddler under the care of Burton suffered second-degree burns on various parts of his body after Burton placed the child unattended in a scalding hot shower. Burton admitted to KPD Investigator Jonathan Harris that he knew the thermostat on the hot water heater was at a high setting. Burton also admitted placing the toddler in the tub, turning on the hot water, then leaving the child unattended for several minutes. He then waited until the next day to seek medical attention for the toddler. When the child was finally brought to the hospital, he was sent to the burn center at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.

The conviction for Aggravated Child Neglect carries a punishment of fifteen to twenty-five years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. The District Attorney’s Office will seek enhanced punishment due to the nature of the crime and the fact that Burton has a prior felony conviction for Robbery. Judge Scott Green set a sentencing hearing on April 2, 2015.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.