A Carbon County woman admitted on Monday in the county court to assaulting her young son, causing serious injuries to the boy.

Ashlyn Erin McCartney, 26, who now lists her address as the county prison in Nesquehoning, pleaded to one count of aggravated assault, as a felony 2. In exchange for the plea, the district attorney’s office dropped a felony 1 aggravated assault count, felony 3 endangering the welfare of a child and misdemeanor 2 simple assault.

She was charged by state police at Lehighton on Nov. 21, 2018, after troopers received information of child abuse. Troopers said the boy, 4 at the time, suffered serious injuries inflicted by his mother including a brain bleed, bruises, contusions, eye injury, head injury and facial injuries.

McCartney admitted striking the child with a paddle so hard she broke the paddle. That happened when she was attempting to give him a bath and he was crying, she said.

The child was taken to the Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest, for treatment and admitted to intensive care. The child has since recovered.

McCartney is in the prison on the assault counts and is also awaiting sentencing on a driving under the influence charge, which she pleaded to last Friday.

President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II, who accepted the plea, told McCartney, under state sentencing guidelines, she faces a minimum prison term of somewhere between 12 and 18 months up to 10 years on the assault charge. He deferred sentencing and ordered the adult probation office to prepare a presentence investigation report.