Man sentenced for repeatedly striking non-verbal foster son

FORT WAYNE, Ind. ---The judge said the facts were appalling and he wasn’t convinced the foster dad’s Facebook apology was sincere.

Chad Eppard, 31, was in court Thursday (April10) to receive his sentence for Felony 5 domestic battery and Felony 5 neglect of a dependent, both charges resulting in bodily injury.

On July 8 of last year, Eppard, of Fort Wayne, repeatedly struck his four-year-old, non verbal foster son in the face with an open hand and “pushed the victim down on the ground and the victim fell into the front door face first,” according to a probable cause affidavit. 

Eppard refused to tell the responding Fort Wayne officer, N. Metzger, just how many times he hit him. 

On the police report, the officer noted that Eppard was “apologetic, crying, afraid and nervous” during his interview and “admitted to going too far and stated he shouldn’t have done what he done.”

The boy, who was alone with Eppard and has several learning disabilities, went to the hospital with “bruising all over his face, redness all over his face and a swollen bottom lip,” court documents said. 

Eppard’s wife called the Department of Child Services the day after Eppard beat the child. The Fort Wayne Police Department was called in to assist.

His wife may have been one of the people who testified in court before Zent handed down Eppard’s sentence. In February, Eppard pleaded guilty and avoided a jury trial.

“It was beyond the pale…striking him in the face,” Zent told Eppard who stood at the mic for his allocution while his attorney, Nikos Nakos,

Chad Eppard

was inside the rail.

Deputy Prosecutor Tasha Lee represented the state.

Because of his “relatively light record,” Zent sentenced Eppard to six years with three years suspended and three years to be spent on home detention, zero tolerance, no contact order and probation. 

“You’re lucky you’re not going to prison,” Zent said. “I don’t like sending people to prison in their 30s.”