GONZALES - Officials in Ascension Parish say a man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he let a child's burns go untreated for months.

According to the district attorney's office, a child in Joseph Babin's care was rushed to the hospital in 2015 after his shirt caught fire while playing with a lighter. The boy was treated for burns sustained to his body and released back into Babin's care.

Medical staff grew concerned after Babin failed to bring the boy to follow-up appointments, and another relative finally brought the child in for a follow-up visit about three months later. Doctors told detectives that the boy clearly went untreated since the day of the incident, pointing out that his bandages were the same from the initial visit and that his wounds had become infected, making it difficult for him to move.

He was arrested shortly afterward.

Babin entered a guilty plea Friday to one count of second-degree cruelty to juveniles. He was sentenced to 20 years in Department of Corrections custody with credit for time served.

Babin was also re-arrested while out on bond in 2017 on several drug-related charges.