Wichita man who reportedly hit girlfriend’s 4-year-old in face gets probation
A Wichita man convicted of aggravated battery and child endangerment for reportedly striking his then-girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter on the cheeks and an ear in 2018 has been ordered to serve two years of probation in the case.
The probation term will start after Dylan Ross Yohe is released from prison, where he is currently serving time for two other criminal cases, court records show — a 2017 Butler County case in which he was convicted of fleeing from law enforcement and various traffic violations and a 2019 weapons violation case out of Sedgwick County.
Yohe’s other recent arrests have also drawn public attention. He was jailed for allegedly driving under the influence and possessing illegal drugs during June 2020 social justice protests at 21st and Arkansas in Wichita and over incidents in December 2020 in Nebraska that included several law enforcement chases, records show.
The Kansas Department of Corrections lists Yohe’s earliest possible prison release date as Oct. 5.
Yohe, 25, is accused of hurting the child on May 22, 2018. Authorities got involved after the girl’s mother took her to the emergency room for treatment of what she thought was a rash on the child’s face, according to an arrest affidavit.
But hospital staff determined the marks were actually petechiae, tiny red or purplish spots on the skin caused by broken blood vessels often due to trauma. The girl told authorities Yohe “struck her in the face with his hand” then rubbed lotion on it after the marks appeared, the affidavit says.
Initially, Yohe denied harming the girl and said she got the marks in one of three ways: by falling down, after she was knocked over by a dog and from using the bathroom after suffering from constipation, the affidavit says.
But a doctor concluded the girl’s injuries were “most consistent with a direct blow to the ear” and “impact from an adult-sized hand” on her cheek, either from a fist or a slap, according to the affidavit.
Originally charged with child abuse, Yohe pleaded no contest in February to amended counts of aggravated battery and aggravated endangering a child, court records show.
Last month, Sedgwick County District Judge Tyler Roush imposed the 24-month probation sentence, which followed recommendations from attorneys who negotiated his plea agreement.
Yohe will have to complete substance abuse treatment, parenting classes and a batterer’s intervention program under the terms of his probation, according to his plea agreement. He also can’t have unsupervised contact with any child younger than 16, the agreement says.
