Man Charged With Squeezing Newborn, Cracking Bones
SANDSTONE, Minn. (WCCO) -- A 20-year-old man is accused of squeezing his 7-week-old daughter hard enough to fracture at least 21 bones.
William Robert Olsen, of Sandstone, was arrested charged with four counts of first-degree assault and malicious punishment of a child.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim's parents brought her into the emergency room on March 22 after they noticed she was not moving her arm and that one of her legs looked larger than the other. She also appeared to be in significant pain.
The girl's parents denied that she fell.
Doctors noted that she had a number of fractures and transported her to the University of Minnesota Hospital. There, it was determined she had suffered up to 21 fractures with an addition 5 possible fractures in, among other locations, her ribs, left arm, both legs as well as her skull.
The child required emergency surgery and doctors say she may suffer permanent disfigurement due to the extent of her injuries.
Upon questioning by police, Olsen admitted that he had squeezed his daughters arm because she was crying. Police said he began crying and admitted he "just squeezed too much." He then admitted to police that he had also squeezed or twisted the child's arms and legs other times.
He claimed he did not know he was doing damage, the complaint says, and he said he was only trying to get his daughter to be quiet so he could sleep.
If convicted, Olsen faces up to 20 years in prison on each assault charge, 10 years for malicious punishment of a child and/or 5 years in prison for the second count of malicious punishment.
