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Fromm sentenced to 60 days in jail

Four charges dismissed in plea deal

NEW ULM — A 39-year-old rural Sleepy Eye man accused of abusing his children, was sentenced to 60 days in jail in Brown County District Court July 15.

Andy J. Fromm, 24262 340th Avenue, Sleepy Eye, was convicted of gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child and misdemeanor domestic assault. A felony threats of violence charge, two counts of gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child and A misdemeanor domestic assault charge were dismissed as part of a plea deal.

Fromm and his wife Stephanie subjected his three children to a number of abuses including forcing them to sleep on a concrete basement floor and hit each other, according to court documents.

He will be allowed Huber privileges if appropriate, meaning he may serve jail time on work release and may serve 15 days of his jail time on the Sentenced To Serve program that allows inmates to work on community projects.

Fromm was ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with the victims but may have phone contact if initiated by the victims. He must complete a diagnostic mental health assessment and an anger management program/domestic violence-specific counseling program and make no threats of violence.

A 90-day jail sentence was stayed for two years supervised probation.

Stephanie Fromm was found guilty of four gross misdemeanor charges including contributing to the need of protection or services and three counts of malicious punishment of a child, earlier this summer. A felony threats of violence charge was dismissed. She is scheduled to be sentenced at 10:15 a.m., Aug. 12.

In addition to forcing the children to sleep on concrete, Stephanie Fromm was accused of chasing children around a farmyard in her vehicle last fall.

In Stephanie Fromm’s two-day court trial, Andy Fromm testified that he was bullied himself in grade school. He admitted to telling his stepchildren to sleep on the basement floor a few times a month when they misbehaved. He said they could have slept in a bed if they apologized for that they did, but that usually didn’t happen.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).

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