(KNZA)--A former Horton man has been sentenced to prison in a Brown County child abuse case.

Brown County Attorney Kevin Hill said 31-year-old Justin Ziegler was sentenced Monday in Brown County District Court to a a total of 73 months in prison arising out of his convictions for aggravated battery and felony child abuse against a two-month-old child.

Hill said the sentence was handed down following a lengthy evidentiary hearing during which he presented detailed reports from Children's Mercy Hospital and law enforcement.

Ziegler was accused of beating the child on June 18, 2017.  The child was life flighted to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City with significant injuries.

Ziegler was arrested in April 2018 following an investigation by the Brown County Sheriff's Office, Horton Police Department and the Kansas Department for Children and Families.  He was later released on bond.

After Ziegler's absconded from authorities for nearly two years, he was apprehended in Missouri and extradited to Brown County to stand trial.