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WILLMAR — A Willmar couple are facing numerous felony charges for abusing two juvenile males in their care.
Amanda Lynn Todd, 37, and Erik Brent Frederickson, 41, both of Willmar, are each facing six felony charges: two charges of second-degree assault — dangerous weapon; two charges of malicious punishment of a child; and two charges of third-degree assault.
According to the criminal complaints against the two, the charges stem from an investigation into severe bruising on the buttocks of two boys, ages 9 and 8.
Todd made her first court appearance June 15 in Kandiyohi County District Court, and Frederickson made his first appearance July 13.
Bail without conditions was set at $30,000 for each of them or they could be released on their own recognizance with conditions, including no contact with the alleged victims.
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The Willmar Police Department was contacted by Kandiyohi County Health and Human Services regarding the physical abuse of the children after the 8-year-old reported receiving 10 spankings with a wooden board, causing bruising on his buttocks, according to the complaint.
When a forensic interview of the juveniles took place April 27 by a detective and a child protection worker, the 8-year-old child refused to show the bruises on his buttocks, but admitted to having bruises on his hand, leg and arm. The 9-year-old had a bruise on his face, but stated it was from goofing around with his brother.
When Todd was interviewed at her home in Willmar, she expressed her frustration with child protective services being called, and denied spanking the children, according to the complaint.
At her direction, the 8-year-old child showed his bruises to the detective, who observed significant, severe, deep and discolored bruising on the boy’s buttocks, along with small scabs that were grouped together.
Todd said she caused the bruises April 23 when she hit the child with a board more than five times before stopping because her hand hurt. She showed the detective the board that had been used. She stated she spanked the 8-year-old with the board because he made her so mad that she could not see straight, according to the complaint.
The 9-year-old child also showed his injuries, which were described in the criminal complaint as "significant, severe, deep and discolored bruising" on the child’s buttocks that also wrapped down his left leg.
The children were placed on a 72-hour law enforcement hold, and action was initiated through the court system to provide the children with protective services.
Frederickson was interviewed over the phone by the detective April 28. He told the detective that he and Todd spank the boys over their clothes, and denied using a board.
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He also said he and Todd had tried to use the belt when they were trying to find different forms of punishment for the children, but the 9-year-old had no facial expression when the belt was used and the 8-year-old only had a whimpering look.
According to the complaint, Frederickson said they wanted the boys to feel like they were actually being punished. They had the children lean over the couch and then would just “whap them,” he added.
Frederickson told the detective Todd could cause the types of bruises on the children when using the board, and that he could hit hard enough to cause that type of bruising.
Frederickson has a previous conviction of malicious punishment of a child from an incident in 2016, and was discharged from probation in August 2019, according to the complaint.
Todd’s next court date is a pre-trial hearing Aug. 30. Frederickson is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing Sept. 13.
