Brown County District Court

• Abel L. Vasquez, 26, 2412 N. Broadway, New Ulm, was charged Sept. 22 with felony assault-past pattern of child abuse, assault-victim under 4, two counts of malicious punishment of a child, and two misdemeanor counts of domestic assault. Bail without conditions was set at $15,000. A videoconference appearance was set for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 4.

Brown County Human Services Child Protection got a report of possible child abuse involving a 5-year-old victim, who lives in New Ulm. Agents met with the juvenile Sept. 15, who said she was pinched under the chin. Agents photographed a bruise under the chin. The juvenile said they were hit in the stomach with a broom and displayed a bruise consistent with a broom handle. Agents photographed the injury.

Investigator Mike Hohensee and county child protection agents interviewed the juvenile at the Child Advocacy Center Sept. 20, but the juvenile did not disclose abuse and appeared to have been coached in responding.

The juvenile’s mother told Hohensee her husband was no longer permitted to physically discipline the children. The mother showed Hohensee six cell phone photos dated July 31 of their 3-year-old son with back, buttocks and leg injuries.

The mother said she witnessed the chin injury and said she saw Vasquez discipline the children excessively and more than 50 times.

Hohensee and the county agents interviewed Vasquez who said he spanked the children, later changed his story, broke down and got emotional. He told Hohensee he had a rough childhood, was abused and “blanks” or “zones” out. He admitted to causing juvenile injuries documented in the photos.

• Kelly I. Treml, 54, 29566 300th St., Sleepy Eye, was charged Sept. 19 with felony theft and drugs procure/possess/control by fraud or deceit charges. Court was set for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 11.

New Ulm Police officer Kristina Wright got a phone call about an Aug. 1 theft in a New Ulm assisted living center. The victim said she noticed some of prescription medicine Adderall was missing from her purse, and that her co-worker, Treml, took the Adderall from her purse and was on camera footage taking it. She told police Treml acted strange that day and took six or seven 25 mg Adderall capsules.

Wright reviewed camera footage showing Treml going into a purse and looking at prescription bottles inside it, opens one and dumped pills into her hand, then went to another purse and dumped pills in her hand into another bottle, then concealed the purse on the floor.

Wright and New Ulm Police Cpl. Tara Martin interviewed Treml at the law enforcement center Aug. 11. Treml admitted to looking for medication in a purse but said she never took anything out of the purse.

Wright told Treml the video showed her dumping pills into her hand. Treml said she takes medication four times a day, has a Naproxen prescription and sometimes mixes Advil with other medications. Treml said Naproxen is “kind of a pink kind of color” but is actually blue in color.

Martin asked Treml if she remembered what color the Adderall were. Treml replied “I don’t know.”

• Cody W. Nelson, 22, 13118 CR 24, Searles, was charged Sept. 21 with felony drug possession of marijuana. Court was set for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 18.

Narcotics agent Mullenbach and other officers executed a narcotics search warrant at the Nelson residence July 5. Items found in the home were four empty baggies and two empty containers consistent with drug use and sales and a round container with a brown, powdery substance where Nelson was sleeping.

Mullenbach field tested the substance that showed a positive presumptive result for methamphetamine that weighed about .4 grams on a non-certified, digital scale. Nelson was convicted of controlled substance sales Oct. 17, 2016, in Blue Earth County Court.

• Jordan C. Houg, 32, 26 N. Jefferson, New Ulm, was charged Sept. 20 with gross misdemeanor DWI and misdemeanor DWI. New Ulm Police officer Charles Rasche was parked facing east on the 600 block of 1st North Street in New Ulm Sept. 18 at 1:17 a.m. when he noticed a motorcycle that exited a parking lot into a one-way alley, going the wrong way, nearly hit a minivan parked in the opposing traffic lane and made a rolling stop before turning south, then accelerated quickly.

Rasche did a traffic stop and identified the driver as Houg with intoxication clues. A preliminary breath est read .21 alcohol concentration. Houg was arrested and taken to the law enforcement center. A Datamaster test showed .21 at 2:01 a.m.

• Gary R. Sell, Jr., 415 McKinley, Mankato, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor marijuana possession, misdemeanor possession of more than 1.4 grams marijuana in motor vehicle and open bottle Sept. 19.

A New Ulm Polixw Sgt. Charles Rasche saw a black Buick with dark windows heading south on Broadway Street on Aug. 29 and stopped the vehicle to measure the window tint. Rasche also saw a marijuana wax item by the dash and a small, glass jar with two small marijuana buds and searched the vehicle.

Sell admitted there was an open bottle of alcohol in the vehicle. Rasche found two marijuana vape cartridges with trace amounts and a black vape device with cartridge attached. Rasche also found three empty baggies with a white powder residue suspected to be cocaine, three marijuana electronic devices, loose marijuana in the vehicle, a black marijuana grinder and partial bottle of Captain Morgan rum.

• Timothy S. Thomas, 56, 2201 N. Broadway, New Ulm was charged Sept. 29 with gross misdemeanor driving after cancellation. Court was set for 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 30.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police Sgt. Charles Rasche was on patrol on September 28 when he observed a vehicle approaching him near Broadway and 20th North. He ran vehicle registration and noticed it was revoked and the registered owner’s driving privileges were cancelled.

Rasche stopped the vehicle, identified the driver as Thomas from prior contacts. Thomas said he had a recent DWI in another vehicle and his plates were impounded and he didn’t know the revocation carried over to the vehicle he was driving. Rasche confirmed on his squad computer that Thomas’ driving status was cancelled IPS and had not been reinstated.