This is a heartbreaking case of child abuse in Deschutes County, Oregon. Sarah Session, 34, received a 216-month (18-year) prison sentence on March 31, 2026, after a jury convicted her on March 5 of nine counts including first-degree assault, criminal mistreatment, and coercion. Court records show she repeatedly beat her then-9-year-old stepson with a curtain rod window stopper, forced him to eat his own vomit, isolated him in a room tied to a chair, and prevented contact with his father.
Family Involvement
Session’s parents faced charges too:
- Paula Hardenburg, 61: 70 months in prison for criminal mistreatment, second-degree assault, and tampering with evidence.
- Gary Hardenburg, 66: 60 days in jail plus 3 years probation for criminal mistreatment and tampering with evidence.
An initial attempted murder charge against Session was dropped in January.
Victim’s Impact Statement
Now 11, the boy spoke via phone in court, detailing the trauma: beatings, lies, forced vomit-eating, and flashbacks requiring lifelong therapy. He called his stepmother’s actions monstrous, expressed his dream of becoming a lawyer, and said she’d “have to answer to Jesus.” Judge Alison Emerson apologized to him, noting no one had intervened despite video evidence later uncovered by detectives, which she said made the case credible.
Defendant’s Response
Session claimed in jail calls she did “nothing wrong,” per prosecutors. In court, she read a statement expressing embarrassment and partial remorse, insisting she sought “help” for the boy rather than harm.
No comments yet from the Deschutes County DA or court. Local outlets like KATU and KTVZ broke the story based on court docs and proceedings. Cases like this highlight failures in family intervention—detectives’ video discovery was key to belief and conviction.
