Oshkosh, Wisconsin – A 39-year-old firefighter in Wisconsin has been arrested after confessing to physically abusing his newborn son. Michael Ormond was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with child abuse, causing great bodily harm and intentional harm.
The arrest came after administrators at a local hospital in Neenah reported suspicious injuries on the 2-month-old baby, including extensive bruising and bleeding in the brain. The infant, who had spent nearly two months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), was airlifted to Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee for specialized treatment.
According to a probable cause affidavit, medical reports revealed that the baby suffered from a subdural hematoma, bruising on various parts of his body, and hemorrhages in the retina. Ormond admitted to police that he had been physically harming his son since bringing him home from the NICU. He confessed to pinching the baby’s toes, squeezing his legs, arms, neck, and face. Ormond claimed that the child’s crying triggered him and that he experienced something similar to a “runner’s high” when hurting the infant.
Authorities also discovered that Ormond had allegedly abused his two daughters when they were infants, but he stated that his issues were limited to children aged 0-9 months. Ormond appeared in court on Tuesday, where his bond was set at $500,000 cash. If released, he will have no contact with his wife, children, or any minors. Ormond is scheduled to appear in court again on September 21.
Ormond, who was employed as a firefighter with the Oshkosh Fire Department, is no longer working for the department as of September 11, 2023.