Ludington mother sentenced to prison for child abuse

Treesh

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

LUDINGTON — A 36-year-old Ludington mother was sentenced to 20 months to 10 years in prison for a conviction of second-degree child abuse in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court Tuesday, Sept. 24.

However, because Tara Lynn Treesh has already served 684 days in jail, she will be immediately eligible for parole. Treesh has been lodged in the Mason County Jail since Nov. 10, 2022.

Treesh pleaded no contest to the charge, July 16.

“In December of 2021, Treesh brought her unresponsive 2-year-old child to Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital,” states a press release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office. “Due to the severity of his injuries, the child was required to be transferred by helicopter to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids for intensive care and surgery. While Treesh claimed the child may have fallen from his crib, a pediatric specialist indicated the injuries were not consistent with that type of fall. Treesh has since terminated her parental rights. 

Michigan Assistant Attorney General Daniel Grano appeared via video conferencing at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing.

“She is not the person who physically harmed this child,” said defense attorney Andrew LaPres. Treesh’s boyfriend was also initially charged in the child abuse case, but the charges were dismissed when he pleaded in a separate case.

Kevin James Kaiser, 30, of Ludington, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, Feb. 28, and charges of first-degree child abuse  — which is punishable by up to life in prison — and maintaining a drug house were dismissed.

LaPres said Treesh had a good job and no prior criminal record, but then got into drugs.

Kaiser

“She’s going to have to live with the fact that her child got seriously hurt by a person who she was in a relationship with,” said LaPres. 

The attorney asked Judge Susan K. Sniegowski to order Treesh to one year in jail, allowing her to get drug treatment.

When asked if she had any comments, Treesh said, “I don’t have anything more to say other than what he already said,” she said of her attorney.

Judge Sniegowski said she received many letters in support of Treesh from friends and family. “I do see that you have potential … but that needs to be balanced with the danger you put your children in. You’re lucky (your son) is alive. The situation could have been far worse.”

Charges of methamphetamine possession in a separate case and maintaining a drug house in connection to the child abuse case were dismissed.

Former Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Kreinbrink previously said the incident took place Dec. 14, 2021 in the City of Ludington. She said Treesh brought her then 2-year-old son to Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital Emergency Department for treatment of injuries. The boy was then transferred to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids because of the severity of injuries, Kreinbrink said. 

“I became involved because the extent of injuries of the child indicated that it was possible that he was not going to survive,” Kreinbrink said. “Thankfully, because of the medical treatment he received, he has survived. He is currently in the care of his maternal grandparents.” 

Kreinbrink said Kaiser was in a relationship with Treesh and living with her at the time of the incident but is not the father of the child.

Kaiser was sentenced, May 21, to 65 months (almost 5 ½ years) to 20 years in prison for a conviction of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder for stabbing a man. He also received a concurrent term of 80 months (6 ⅔ years) to 10 years in prison for a probation violation conviction. Kaiser’s probation violation stems from a 2020 case in which he pleaded guilty to aggravated stalking and two counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing police and received a sentence of one year in jail and five years probation. The co-defendant in that case was his father, Jeffrey Kaiser. A charge of accessory after the fact to a felony was dismissed against the 61-year-old Kaiser.

Kevin Kaiser has five prior felonies and six previous misdemeanor convictions, along with a juvenile record, said Judge Sniegowski.

“At this point, (Treesh) has served almost two years (in jail),” said LaPres previously. “If we went to trial on it, the attorney general’s office indicated that they would up her charge to first-degree child abuse. It wasn’t worth rolling the dice on that.”

The maximum term for second-degree child abuse is 10 years in prison. Sentencing guidelines in the case are 19-38 months,

“She terminated her parental rights — she agreed to do that,” said LaPres. “Her children were placed with her parents.” The attorney said Treesh has other children — possibly three, one of whom is a teenager, who are now in the custody of Treesh’s parents.

“As far as I know he’s made a full recovery or a near full recovery,” he said of the injured toddler.

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