BENTONVILLE -- A Siloam Springs woman will terminate her parental rights after admitting to allowing the abuse of her then 3-year-old son.
Brianna Setser, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to permitting the abuse of a child. The plea is under an agreement Jonathan Nelson, Setser's attorney, reached with Joshua Robinson, senior deputy prosecutor.
Setser was arrested in May 2021.
Rolando Obispo Jr., 24, of Siloam Springs is charged with two counts of domestic battering. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Obispo was arrested after someone asked Benton County Sheriff's Office deputies to do a welfare check at a home concerning a child with severe bruising all over his body. The person reported having photographs of the child's injuries, according to court documents.
The deputy was shown a video showing the boy with both of his eyes blackened, his left eye swollen shut and missing hair, according to court documents. The deputy learned the incident happened in early April, according to the affidavit.
Setser, Obispo's girlfriend, said she went to the store and left her son with Obispo. She said Obispo called and texted her to come home, and when she returned she saw her son's face was bruised and swollen, the affidavit states.
Setser said Obispo told her he was trying to change the boy's diaper, and he was kicking and crawling away. Setser said Obispo told her he picked up the boy by his hair and threw him to the ground. Obispo told her he then picked up the boy by his ears and threw him onto the bed and slapped him because he wouldn't stop crying, according to the affidavit.
The boy was taken May 11, 2021, to Arkansas Children's Northwest where it was discovered he had a parietal skull fracture on his left side with soft tissue swelling, according to the affidavit.
Robinson told Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green the boy suffered a skull fracture and had bleeding on his brain.
"He's recovered and doing well," Robinson said of the boy.
Obispo's case hasn't been resolved. He's being held on a $500,000 cash only bond in the Benton County Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 11 in Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren's court.
Setser reached out to her friends about the abuse but never contacted medical professionals and police, Robinson said.
The judge asked Setser if she was admitting to permitting the abuse of her son.
"Admitting, ma'am," Setser replied.
Green accepted the plea agreement and Setser's guilty plea.
The agreement calls for Setser to terminate her parental rights. The judge ordered Setser not to have any contact with her son.
The agreement also requires Setser to cooperate with the prosecution against Obispo and testify against him, Robinson said.
She will be placed on 10 years of state-supervised probation and must serve 115 days in the Benton County Jail.
Setser will remain free on $100,000 bond until her sentencing on Feb. 6. Her conviction can be expunged if she successfully completes her probation.
Rolando Obispo Jr.
Rolando Obispo Jr. (left) and Brianna Setser