Swopes’ teenage son, who was 14 at the time of the incident, was suffering from Crohn’s disease. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system destroys healthy tissue. Instead of taking his son to the hospital and ensuring that he was given appropriate medical care, Swopes tried to sew it himself, owing to which, the wound got infected which saw him in hospital for almost a month.
Swopes was charged with aggravated battery and had he not accepted a plea deal, could have ended up spending between two and five years in Prison.
Assistant State’s Attorney Danielle Pascucci told the Lake County News-Sun that Swopes accepting the plea is not a direct admission of guilt, but an admission that there is enough proof to convict.