Milwaukee boy burned; woman pleads guilty to child abuse, sentenced

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Sandi Goodman

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee woman accused of child abuse and neglect was sentenced on Wednesday, March 12 to six years in prison plus an additional ten years of extended supervision. 

Before sentencing was handed down on Wednesday, Sandi Goodman pleaded guilty to a charge of physical abuse of a child. A second charge of neglecting a child was dismissed and read into the court record for the purposes of sentencing. 

Case details

What we know:

According to a criminal complaint, a 3-year-old boy was taken to a hospital with his skin "coming off" and blistering in October 2024. A doctor noted injuries all over the boy's body that included burns and bruises. The boy was immediately sedated and taken into surgery to have "significant burns" treated. Medical staff also noted what appeared to be older, healed burns on the boy's body.

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"The injuries would have been extremely painful when they occurred and are outside of what would be considered reasonable discipline of a child," the complaint stated. "The healed and healing looped and linear injuries may be days or weeks old. The presence of acute patterned bruises to the left upper arm and extensive healed injuries confirms physical abuse on multiple occasions."

Detectives interviewed Goodman at her home. Prosecutors said she told them she was boiling water for noodles and went to the bathroom, heard screams and returned to the kitchen to find the child "jumping around and trying to get away from the water." In a later interview, she blamed other injuries on "bug bites" and denied ever using physical discipline.

Goodman agreed to let police search her cellphone and home. According to the complaint, the search uncovered a Sept. 30 text conversation in which she said she physically disciplined the child. Another conversation from Oct. 4 expressed concern that Child Protective Services was taking photos of the boy's chest.

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Prosecutors said, between Sept. 23 and Oct. 5, there were internet searches on Goodman's phone that included:

• "How to get rid of belt marks on a child"
• "Does Neosporin help burns heal fast"
• "Bugs that leave scratch marks"
• "2nd degree burn staying in hospital reddit"
• "How do you know if you have a warrant"
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