Father of three charged with child abuse (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)

Dad ERIC R. REINERT has been charged with felony child abuse for allegedly hitting his 12-year-old son. No mention of the mother at all, which, unfortunately, is typical in these articles. So we have no idea if this is a single dad or what.

Sheboygan father of three charged with child abuse
Sheboygan Press staff • August 18, 2009

A 38-year-old Sheboygan man was charged Monday with felony child abuse for allegedly hitting one of his three children.

Eric R. Reinert, of 413 Erie Ave., could face up to 18 months in prison if convicted on the count of physical abuse of a child.

According to a criminal complaint:

Reinert’s mother-in-law told police on Saturday that he has a history of taking his anger out on his children and she had heard a lot of yelling that night. She lives in the lower flat of duplex and Reinert lives upstairs.

Reinert’s 12-year-old son said Reinert struck him with a rolled up T-shirt when he objected to a request to watch his siblings, a 10-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl. He showed police a long narrow red mark on his back with circular bruises at each end.

The 12- and 10-year-old boys both said they were afraid of Reinert, and the older son said his father often hits him in the chest, ribs and back when he does nothing to deserve it. He described another occasion where Reinert woke him up in the middle of the night and hit him with an inflatable doll.