Six months after Dr. Dennis Sierra accidentally left his 3-year-old son in an SUV, the emotionally devastated Parkland dentist pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated manslaughter of a child, saying his son's death will stay with him forever.
Sierra's attorney, Michael Salnick, said the dentist already has endured the worst possible punishment in the loss of his youngest child, Andres, just 12 days shy of the boy's third birthday...
Prosecutors wanted the judge to impose a formal finding of guilt, but a felony conviction could jeopardize Sierra's dentistry license, Salnick said, so he and Sierra decided to ask Palm Beach County Circuit Judge John Hoy if he would withhold the conviction, and the judge agreed. The judge sentenced Sierra to the 10 years of probation and 500 hours of community service that prosecutors sought.
