By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
A Rochester father was charged this week with physically abusing his infant son.
According to the criminal complaint filed May 20 in Racine County Circuit Court:
Gerald Lee Baumeister, Jr., 20, is charged with physically abusing and intentionally harming his four-month-old son, who was taken to Children’s Hospital after the child’s mother met with a home visitor from Children’s Services Society of Wisconsin.
The worker was visiting the home May 15 because of prior reports of marijuana use there.
Both the worker and mother noticed a “U” shaped burn mark on the baby’s right foot.
Baumeister reportedly told the mother, and county deputies, that he did not know what happened to his son’s foot. The injury allegedly occurred while the infant was in Baumeister’s care.
The hospital reported the burn marks to the baby’s foot indicated a lighter had been deliberately held against the infant’s skin, which would have been extremely painful. The criminal complaint notes the burn appeared to be fresh and blistered.
The baby also suffered a tear to his frenulum, which is the skin underneath the tongue that attaches to the bottom of the mouth. The injury was noticed when the baby would not drink his bottle.
Doctors advised the mouth injury would be caused by someone aggressively putting something inside the baby’s mouth.
The mother told deputies that Baumeister has anger issues but wouldn’t be mean to the baby.
Besides the charge of physical abuse to a child, Baumeister is also charged with misdemeanor child neglect and felony bail jumping.
At the time of the burn incident, Baumeister was out on bond for a pending felony case of first-degree sexual assault of a child under age 13, which was filed February 2013. As a condition of that bond, Baumeister cannot engage in further criminal activity.
If convicted of the most recent charges, Baumeister faces a maximum of $30,000 in fines; 12 years, 9 months in prison; or both.
He made an initial appearance in Racine County Circuit Court May 20, when probable cause was found that he committed the crimes with which he is charged.
A $30,000 cash bond was set, with conditions that require Baumeister to have no contact with the victim, the victim’s family or their residence. He is also forbidden contact with all minors under age 18.
He is next due in court May 29 for a preliminary hearing, when a judge will consider whether or not the matter should proceed to trial.
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