The Gallupville man who pleaded guilty to charges in connection with pulling three teeth from an eight-year-old girl in 2013, was sentenced last week to four years in prison.
Schoharie County Court Judge George Bartlett sentenced Steven D. Walker, 35, to the maximum sentence for the crime.
Walker pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, a Class D felony in June.
At that time, Walker entered an Alford plea, which means he did not admit to the crime, but accepted the assault charge.
On Wednesday, he expressed regret for pleading guilty, saying he thought he was protecting his family.
The eight-year-old girl, who is developmentally disabled, complained of mouth pain in school in November 2013. Her regular dentist examined her and found that three of her teeth had been forcibly removed.
The dentist reported the case to Schoharie County Child Protective Services, who then contacted the State Police.
The investigation led to the arrest of Walker, who cared for the girl, though he was not her foster father. Troopers charged Walker with two counts of felony assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Had Walker been convicted of the more serious charges he could have faced up to 14 years in prison.