ESCANABA - Previous acts of violence by an Escanaba woman - accused of seriously abusing her baby - will be allowed to be presented as evidence of domestic violence during her trial in March, the court decided Friday.
Angel Dawn Micheau, 21, accused of first-degree child abuse, is scheduled to go to trial on the 15-year felony March 12-15. Micheau was arrested on Oct. 21, 2011, for child abuse stemming from an April 11, 2011 incident involving burns on her three-month-old daughter. Her daughter is now one year old.
The charge accuses Micheau of knowingly or intentionally causing serious physical harm - partial thickness burns - to the victim. The burns were allegedly caused by exposure to scalding water or steam, according to court records.
During a hearing in Delta County Circuit Court Friday, the prosecution sought two motions allowing past violent acts by Micheau be made known to the jury when the case goes to trial.
Judge Stephen Davis approved the "first notice of domestic violence towards the child" including the second-degree burns diagnosed at OSF St. Francis Hospital on April 11, 2011.
Davis will also allow in court witness testimony claiming Micheau punched her abdomen when she was pregnant, struck the infant on the face, grabbed the child by the neck, threw the baby to her husband, exposed the infant to severe cold, and left the baby alone at home.
Davis approved a portion of the "second notice of domestic violence against others" by allowing only one prior incident be known to the jury - when Micheau assaulted a relative on Aug. 30, 2010.
Prosecutor Steve Parks requested the prior domestic violence acts be allowed in court as evidence to establish there was intent to cause serious physical harm to the child.
"Our theory is that this was an intentional act," commented Parks.
When Micheau brought the child to the local hospital last spring, OSF personnel suspected child abuse and notified child protective services and police. The baby girl was placed under protective care and was transported to a hospital in Green Bay. She was then transferred to the Milwaukee Children's Hospital where tests revealed several broken bones including fractured ribs which were healing.
Micheau remains lodged in the county jail in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond.
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Jenny Lancour, (906) 786-2021, ext. 143, jlancour@dailypress.net
