TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced Wednesday that James Z.T. Rhodes, 33, of Paradise, was sentenced to serve more than three years in prison for felony abuse of a child. Rhodes pled guilty earlier this year on Jan. 31. Russell County District Court Judge Levi Morris imposed the sentence. Rhodes was sentenced to 41 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections.

“Our job is to protect the most vulnerable,” said Assistant Attorney General Nicole Southall, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. “Holding the abuser accountable before a homicide occurred is a fundamental step in our pursuit of justice for this child.”

After the 5-month-old victim was transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita with life-threatening injuries on July 23, 2024, Rhodes admitted to becoming angry with the victim and throwing her into her crib. He also admitted to forcefully striking the infant’s forehead with his open hand.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated the crime.