Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Dad pleads guility to abusing twin 6-month-olds (St. Charles, Missouri)

Dad ANTHONY J. WAMSER is another one of these guys who was unemployed and didn't have a clue as to how to take care of twin babies. So he squeezed his sons' ribs hard enough to fracture them, was "rough" while he changed their diapers, shoved the babies into a recliner chair by their shoulders, and bit them (!) on their faces and arms.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/0AABD0D2693F07188625760E006905C2?OpenDocument

Father pleads guilty of abusing twin 6-month-olds
By
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/10/2009

ST. CHARLES -- A former St. Charles man admitted this morning that he squeezed his 6-month-old twin sons' ribs hard enough to fracture them.

Anthony J. Wamser, 23, pleaded guilty of two counts of felony child abuse. He was charged in May for abuses dating back to October.

Anthony J. WamserPolice said Wamser squeezed his sons around their rib cages three or four different times, was rough with them while changing their diapers, shoved both of them into a recliner chair by their shoulders and bit them on their faces and arms.

A pediatrician discovered the abuse during a checkup, police said. They said one son had three fractured ribs and two fractured clavicles. The other had six fractured ribs. The injuries were in various stages of healing when they were discovered.

Wamser spoke only briefly during this morning's hearing.

Wamser's attorneys, Jeffrey J. Sandcork and Rob Goldson, said their client feels terrible about what happened and is taking full responsibility. They said he was out of the military and had no job when the abuse happened. They said he decided to plead guilty rather than put his wife and their families through a trial.

Wamser has been attending counseling and has not seen the children, Sandcork said. Family members said the children have recovered from their injuries.

Circuit Judge Nancy Schneider scheduled Wamser's sentencing for Nov. 9. He could be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.