Sleepy Eye couple accused of abusing baby girl

A Sleepy Eye couple are accused of abusing their baby daughter. Kyle Thomas Nason, 25, and Kaitlynn Rae Hackbarth, 24, both of Sleepy Eye, were each charged last week in Brown County Court with felony counts of 3rd-degree assault of a victim under the age of four, and malicious punishment of a child under the age of four.  Nason also faces a gross misdemeanor charge of domestic assault.

According to a criminal complaint, Nason had 50/50 custody of his daughter, who turned two years old in April.  The baby lived between Winthrop and the Colonial Inn in New Ulm, where Nason and Hackbarth were living.  The child’s mother told investigators Nason kept changing their every-other-week arrangement, making it longer and longer, which made her suspicious.

The girl’s mother told investigators the baby is bruised on her arms and legs every time she returns home from her father’s care.  She reported also having photos of bruising on the child’s neck on her old phone. The complaint says she provided police with screenshots of messages from a  witness.  One message read: “I heard them spank [the victim’s] ass really bad and scream at [the victim] for not eating.”  In another message, the witness said he was on the main floor, but could hear contact from a “harsh spanking” the baby was receiving from Hackbarth.

Nason allegedly sent the witness a message via Facebook that said: “Like it went from pattling her ass to straight slapped her in the back of the head.”

On April 13, a person caring for the child called police to report the girl was covered in bruises. The witness told police that Nason had said the victim had been “really naughty lately,” and was “acting out.”  Nason then allegedly told the witness that the bruises on the child’s butt were not as bad as they looked.

Police say the girl had numerous purple and yellow bruises, indicating various stages of bruising.  The complaint says the child had bruises on her cheek and under her eye, red marks and scrapes on her face, and a purplish bruise on the side of her neck.  More bruising was discovered on her arms, behind her ears, legs, and back, according to the complaint.

Investigators say Nason became emotional and began sobbing during an interview with police.  Nason told police Hackbarth was the caregiver for the child while he was at work, but denied that Hackbarth spanked the girl.

Hackbarth told detectives that the baby gets two to three spankings on “a good day,” and about seven spankings on a bad day from Nason.

Nason and Hackbarth were arrested without incident on April 17, but have been since been released from jail.  They are due in court for their initial appearance on May 2.