ESCANABA - Medical and police personnel testified Tuesday in the trial of a Gladstone man accused of beating an Escanaba youngster who was under his care last fall.
Allen Joseph Brunette, 23, is charged with two felonies - first-degree child abuse and domestic violence, third offense - for the alleged assault of a four-year-old boy on Oct. 14. Today is the third day of the jury trial in Delta County Circuit Court. The trial is expected to last through the week.
Police were alerted to the suspect child abuse when the boy's mother brought him to be treated at the OSF St. Francis Hospital emergency room. After viewing the youngster's injuries, hospital personnel called police and child protective services.
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Jenny Lancour | Daily Press
Allen Brunette and his attorney Trent Stupak talk following the adjournment of Brunette’s child abuse trial on Tuesday. Court was back in session this morning as witness testimony was heard from an emergency physician and other witnesses.
The patient was transferred by ambulance to Marquette General Hospital where he was admitted for the weekend. The boy was diagnosed with multiple injuries including a liver laceration and swelling and bruising on his body and head.
Two registered nurses from St. Francis Hospital testified on the stand Tuesday, relaying for the jury what they observed during their initial assessments of the child's medical condition.
Joseph Jameson, a surgeon from Marquette General Hospital, also answered questions from the prosecution and defense regarding the boy's injuries.
Exhibits which have been entered as evidence in the trial include district court preliminary testimony and photographs taken of the boy by the sheriff's deputy who investigated the case.
Delta County Sheriff Deputy Brian Lauscher was on the stand for more than two hours Tuesday, answering questions related to the photographs and interviews with Brunette, the victim, the child's mother, and other witnesses.
Today's proceeding will include additional witness testimony. Brunette remains lodged in Delta County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 cash bond.
The maximum sentence on the first-degree child abuse felony is 15 years in prison. Maximum sentence on third-degree domestic violence, which is also a felony, is two years in prison and a $2,500 fine.
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Jenny Lancour, (906) 786-2021, ext. 143, jlancour@dailypress.net