COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nathan Bridges, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to felonious assault in connection with the severe abuse of a 2-year-old boy and was sentenced to seven to 10½ years in prison, according to police and court information. The boy was hospitalized on May 1, 2025, with visible bruising, a displaced jaw fracture, a liver laceration and a vertebral fracture. Bridges had been caring for the child before the boy was taken to a home on Ellsworth Avenue in Columbus’ Driving Park neighborhood, authorities said. A woman at the home told police that Bridges — whom she identified as “Nate” — had dropped off the child the previous night but did not respond to questions about the boy’s condition. The child’s condition worsened the next morning, prompting the woman to call 911. The boy’s mother told investigators that Bridges was the only other person she had asked to watch him. She also showed police earlier video of bruising that appeared after Bridges had cared for the child in April, along with text messages in which Bridges said his dogs had attacked the boy. Detectives from the Columbus Division of Police Physical Child Abuse Unit worked with the New Albany Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to identify Bridges as the primary suspect. He was arrested May 13, 2025, about two weeks after the child was hospitalized. Bridges originally pleaded not guilty to felonious assault and two counts of child endangerment. His guilty plea resolved the case’s assault charge; the two endangerment counts were dismissed. Bridges had been serving a two-year probationary sentence imposed in 2025 after a drug-possession conviction related to a March 2023 incident. Court records indicate that a resentencing hearing will also be held following the new conviction.