Garret Steven Davis, 18, of 13227 County Road 15, Detroit Lakes has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony malicious punishment of a child.
According to court records:
On March 16 he was babysitting his girlfriend's 1-year-old child at her residence in Audubon when he sent her a text message at work that the child had fallen and been injured on a toy.
A police investigator noted red marks on the child's face and buttocks, purple bruises at the top of both ears and deep purple, blue and red bruises on the buttocks in the shape of a hand.
Davis originally told an investigator the child had been hurt accidentally, but later admitted he had spanked the child too hard.
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He appeared Thursday before District Judge Joe Evans, who stayed imposition of sentence for five years and placed him on supervised probation for five years.
He was ordered to serve 30 days in jail, with credit for four days served and work release and STS privileges granted. He was fined $1,500 plus court fees but can do community service work in lieu of the fine.
He must complete a psychiatric diagnostic and follow all rules of probation.
He was ordered to have no contact with the victim or the mother and to have no unsupervised contact with minor children -- an adult must be present. Restitution in this case was denied.
