Northville Township Man Faces Sentencing in Abuse of Toddler

Dylan James Dunlap, of Northville Township, is scheduled to face sentencing Oct. 23 before a Third Circuit Court judge for child abuse and torture charges against him.

He was charged with striking his girlfriend's 23-month-old nephew multiple times in the head, torso and legs and burning him with a lighter.

"That poor kid looks like he just spent three minutes in the ring with Mike Tyson," said James A. Plakas at a preliminary hearing in July at 35th District Court, as he looked at photos of the toddler's injuries. 

>>See a video above of the judge's statement.

Dunlap, then 19, was left in charge of a toddler with his girlfriend, who is the child's aunt, in May at an apartment on Northridge Drive in Northville Township. Police said they found the child with multiple bruises, burns and a bite mark. Northville Township Detective Jonathon Huerta, the main investigator on the case, said at a hearing in July that Dunlap admitted to burning the toddler with a lighter. 

Dunlap's charges include child abuse to the first degree, torture and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, both of which carry potential life sentences.