WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- The man who left a baby girl in the Interstate 135 canal last July has been sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. On July 23, someone called 911 to report they thought they saw a child in the canal near Pawnee. Police officers and the fire department began looking for the child and found an 11-month-old girl. The baby was taken to a hospital to be checked and then placed in protective custody. Police found and arrested Vincent Perez. They did not say how he is connected to the baby. In December, the 35-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated endangering a child and one count of aggravated battery. Kansas schools get guidance on Trump's directive on migrant arrests On Thursday, Perez's attorney filed a motion for a shorter sentence. He wrote that his client is deeply remorseful. "The defendant's conduct is inexcusable and he offers no excuses for it, but submits that his consumption of illicit substances - another inexcusable act - was at the root of what he did," the attorney wrote. The judge denied the motion and sentenced Perez to 54 months.