Salem man arrested in spanking stepson

SALEM — Police arrested a man who they say spanked his disabled stepson hard enough to leave bruises.

Police were called to the Mt. Loafer Elementary School in Salem on Monday after a nurse noticed several bruises and abrasions on the buttocks and lower back of a 5-year-old boy, according to a police report filed in 4th District Court.

The nurse had been changing the diaper of the special-needs boy and called administrators, who photographed the bruises, then called police.

Officers visited the boy's home and talked with the stepfather, who said he had been taking care of the child because the child's mother was on bed rest due to pregnancy, the report states.

The man said he was trying to potty train the child and became upset and spanked the boy because it is "hard to deal with a child with special needs," according to the report.

The stepfather was arrested for investigation of child abuse of a disabled child and released by a judge Tuesday with the caveat that he not impose any physical punishment on any of his stepchildren.

The Division of Child and Family Services also met with the family to create a "safety plan," the report states.

— Sara Israelsen-Hartley