Wauneta man serving time for misdemeanor child abuse

    A Wauneta man convicted of two misdemeanor counts in a child abuse case is serving his sentence in Lincoln County.
    Jamey Dale Clermont, 42, was sentenced to 300 days in jail on a count of negligent child abuse and 60 days on a count of third-degree assault.
    Both are class 1 misdemeanors carrying a maximum of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine,
    Clermont originally was charged with felony child abuse and third-degree assault in February 2018. Negligent child abuse is a lesser included offense in the felony charge, which meant the jury had the option of going with the lesser charge.
    He was convicted in September after a two-day trial.
    According to court documents, he was charged in connection with an incident involving a minor child on Dec. 6, 2017 in Chase County.
    Assistant County Attorney Rory Roundtree said Clermont struck a seven-year-old boy. The boy did not suffer serious injury, he said.
    “I alleged generally that it was an ongoing issue, but there was one specific incident that led to the charges,” he said.