A Bowling Green man accused of causing the death of a toddler in his care two years ago was sentenced Monday to five years in prison.

Montez Hazel, 27, appeared in Warren Circuit Court for sentencing on a count of second-degree manslaughter.

Hazel pleaded guilty to the charge on Sept. 20, the day his trial was scheduled to start.

A grand jury indicted him in 2014 on the charge, which resulted from an investigation into the death of 3-year-old Christ’en Daijon Adams.

Bowling Green Police Department officers responded on Aug. 14, 2014, to a Creason Drive residence after Hazel called police to report that Christ’en was not breathing.

Warren County Coroner Kevin Kirby sent the boy’s body for an autopsy at the state medical examiner’s office in Louisville, resulting in a finding that the cause of Christ’en’s death was a perforated bowel caused by blunt force trauma.

No other existing injuries were found by a medical examiner, according to police.

The case was presented to a Warren County grand jury, which returned an indictment in November 2014.

Hazel was taken into custody after he pleaded guilty in September and has been in Warren County Regional Jail since then.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Hazel would have faced up to 10 years in prison if he had been convicted.

The plea agreement Hazel reached with prosecutors recommended the minimum sentence, and Hazel would be eligible for parole consideration after serving 20 percent of his sentence.

— Follow courts reporter Justin Story on Twitter @jstorydailynews or visit bgdailynews.com