Police: Dad confined boy, 2, in dog crate (Appleton, Wisconsin)

Dad is identified as MICHAEL D. KITZMAN. No mention of a mother in the home.

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20130108/APC0101/301080345/Police-Father-confined-boy-2-dog-crate

Police: Father confined boy, 2, in dog crate
2:19 PM, Jan 8, 2013
Michael D. Kitzman Written by| The Post-Crescent

APPLETON — Police say a former Little Chute man tied the hands and feet of his 2-year-old child and later confined him to a dog crate during an incident in October.

Michael D. Kitzman, 34, now of Appleton, was charged Monday in Outagamie County Court with a felony count of child abuse.

A witness went to police in late October, reporting that Kitzman tied the child at the ankles using a blanket and bound his hands behind his back with a pair of pants.

Kitzman later untied the boy, but locked him into the dog crate and pushed it into a dark bathroom, the criminal complaint states. The boy fell asleep while inside the crate.

The witness told police the incident began when the boy gave another child’s toy to the family’s dog. Kitzman punched the child in the buttocks and thighs. An officer observed a baseball-sized bruise on one of the child’s legs.

Kitzman told police he didn’t remember why he tied the child. He said he didn’t intend to cause pain when striking the child, but wanted to get his attention.

“I just lost it and blanked out,” he told police.

Court commissioner Brian Figy ordered a $10,000 cash bond. Kitzman was prohibited from contact with the child and from any unsupervised contact with anyone younger than 18.

The charge carries a maximum six-year prison sentence and $10,000 fine.

Kitzman will return to court Feb. 11 for a preliminary hearing.