Background: The Chippewa County Jail in Chippewa Falls, Wis. (Google Maps). Inset: Dayne Paulson (Chippewa County Sheriff”s Office).
A Wisconsin man is behind bars after police said he repeatedly abused his newborn son.
Dayne Paulson, 23, is in custody at the Chippewa County Jail after being charged with repeated physical abuse of a child causing great bodily harm. According to a criminal complaint obtained by local news outlet GazetteXtra, police responded to a call from staff at Marshfield Hospital about a potential child abuse case on April 25. Police said a woman brought her 27-day-old newborn son to the hospital for “a cut above his eye, bruised eye, and injury to his septum.”
Upon further examination, police said the boy was found to have numerous injuries, including a skull fracture.
Police said the baby was immediately brought to a pediatric intensive care unit for further treatment. Local ABC affiliate WQOW also obtained the criminal complaint, which stated that after the newborn was examined at the second hospital, doctors found he had three skull fractures as well as fractures to his collarbone, leg, nose, and a rib.
After Paulson was arrested, police said he told them the baby was “being dramatic and not liking his diaper changed.” While speaking with social workers on April 27, Paulson allegedly said he hurt the baby because he would not settle down and stop crying. Paulson allegedly admitted to punching the baby in the eye and head-butting him repeatedly.
Police said Paulson admitted to squeezing the baby with such force that he hurt his own ribs. According to the complaint, police asked Paulson to demonstrate what he did to his son on a Kleenex box. Police said Paulson complied, and the Kleenex box was crushed.
WQOW reported that a doctor who treated the baby said he had a good chance of recovery. Due to his young age, it was too soon to tell if he was going to suffer permanent damage.
Paulson made his first court appearance on May 1, when his bond was increased from $50,000 cash to $200,000. He remains in custody at the Chippewa County Jail. He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday and again on May 26.
