Man charged with beating infant
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 10 months AGO
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | December 15, 2021 1:00 AM
ST. MARIES — A man accused of choking his wife and beating an infant is being held on $85,000 bail.
The 44-year-old St. Maries man is charged with two counts of attempted strangulation, both felonies.
He is also charged with injury to a child, battery and domestic battery in the presence of a child, all misdemeanors.
The Press is not naming him at this time because that would reveal the identities of the victims.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office responded Friday night to a report of a domestic disturbance at a home near St. Maries.
A woman described to police a series of violent actions from her husband.
Two days before she contacted law enforcement, the woman said, her husband spanked their crying 10-week-old baby hard enough to bruise the child’s buttocks.
She said her husband then choked her, reprimanding her for “spoiling” the infant.
The woman provided police with photos of the child’s injuries.
She also gave police an audio recording that she said depicted her husband hitting one of their older children.
The man allegedly pinned the child down and hit the child’s head against the floor.
Police said “horrifying screaming” was audible in the recording.
The woman described other instances in which her husband allegedly slapped and choked her.
The couple’s pastor told police he had recently visited the family residence to mediate a dispute.
He said the man admitted to hitting his wife and children.
When questioned by police, the man allegedly admitted to spanking the baby hard enough to bruise, as well as to pushing one of his older children and repeatedly slapping another.
Police arrested him at his residence.
First District Judge Mayli Walsh ordered Monday that the man be held on $85,000 bail.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse, call Safe Passage Violence Prevention Center’s 24-hour hotline: 208-664-9303.
ARTICLES BY KAYE THORNBRUGH
Stateline shooter pleads guilty to manslaughter
A DoorDash driver who fatally shot a pedestrian during a road rage incident near Stateline Speedway has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, though whether a judge will accept the pretrial settlement offer in the case remains to be seen.
Stateline shooter pleads guilty to manslaughter
Prosecutors originally charged Edsel Johnson with first-degree murder
A DoorDash driver who fatally shot a pedestrian during a road rage incident near Stateline Speedway has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, though whether a judge will accept the pretrial settlement offer in the case remains to be seen.
Kootenai County history revealed
Community members get close-up look at time capsule contents
Liz Boutin is no stranger to historical artifacts. A museum professional and fine artist, Boutin said she's handled Egyptian and Greek items that date back to antiquity. But she had a new experience this summer, after local historical preservationists retrieved a 100-year time capsule from inside the outer wall of the old Kootenai County courthouse.