A mother stood up in court Wednesday and asked the judge to give an Ironton man the maximum jail sentence for being “pure poison that hurt innocent children.”

Adam Bare, 23, of 2827 S. Ninth St., Ironton, had previously pleaded no contest and was found guilty of three counts of misdemeanor assault, which had been reduced from felony charges.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brigham Anderson said the charges arose from incidents that occurred while Bare was employed at the Necco center.

Jennifer Grey, whose autistic son was a resident at the Necco center and one of Bare’s victims, spoke directly to Bare.

“He trusted you as a caregiver and to keep him safe,” Grey said. “You failed him miserably. … You hurt an innocent child that was absolutely defenseless against you.”

In Grey’s statement, she said Bare forced her son to take cold showers and injured him when assisting with toilet needs.

Anderson recommended the maximum sentence for Bare, six months in jail for each count.

Bare’s attorney, Mike Gleichauf, said, “We agree with the state’s recommendation. Neither I or Mr. Bare have any comments at this time.”

Judge Charles Cooper enforced the maximum sentence for each count, to be served concurrently, for a total of six months in jail.

In other cases:

Matthew Rife, 22, of 310 N. Second St., Ironton, pleaded guilty to a bill of information of fourth-degree assault on a police officer and misdemeanor theft of 12 candy bars from Speedway.

Cooper sentenced Rife, who was represented by attorney Mike Gleichauf, to four-years community-controlled sanctions with intensive supervised probation (CSS/ISP) and ordered him to successfully complete the STAR Community Justice Center program. He was also given a 180-day jail sentenced to run concurrently with him time at STAR.

Justin Burns, 23, 232 Township Road 2285, Scottown, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, which was amended from an original charge of burglary.

Burns, represented by attorney Phillip Heald, was sentenced to four years CCS.

David Craft, 38, of 8130 County Road 1 Lot 11, South Point, who was out on bond, tested positive for opiates, marijuana and admitted to using Darvocet, said Adult Probation Officer Lynne Stewart. Cooper modified his bond to $30,000 cash and scheduled a pretrial for Feb. 22.

Sondra Gayhart, 48, of 2427 S. Seventh St., Ironton, waived her right to a speedy trial.

Gayhart, represented by attorney Mike Davenport, previously pleaded not guilty to 45 counts of theft and forgery. She is accused of stealing $22,639 from the Ironton National Little League account by forging and cashing checks.