Father gets 5-plus years after girls found starving

? The father of two young girls found starving in their home last year has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Alex Wood was arrested last July with his wife, Jennifer Wood, after a social worker found the girls, ages 6 and 7, starving and dehydrated in the basement of their Wichita home.

Wood had pleaded guilty to two counts of felony child abuse. His wife, Jennifer Wood, had pleaded guilty to those counts, as well as one count of aggravated battery.

However, the sentence Alex Wood received Thursday is about 18 months longer than the one handed down to his wife on June 8.

Sedgwick County District Judge David Kaufman said he did not let the length of the wife’s sentence influence his decision. Kaufman faulted Alex Wood for not protecting his daughters and seeing “that they are dying before your eyes.”

Wood’s public defender, Jama Mitchell, had argued that although Wood neglected his girls, he did not starve them.

The home was well-stocked with food, and Jennifer Wood’s children, a 4-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, were found to be healthy and well-fed, authorities said.

The father traveled frequently for business, and his two daughters told police they ate only when he was at home.

Alex Wood could be released from prison after 42 months for good behavior and credit for 11 months he has already served.