Three felonies dismissed in plea agreement

NEW ULM — A 36-year-old former New Ulm man accused of seriously injuring a three-month-old baby in New Ulm last July was sentenced to 90 days in jail in Brown County District Court June 27.

Thomas Hubert Llewellyn Andrews of Mankato was convicted of felony child endangerment. He received a stay of imposition, was placed on two years supervised probation, monitored by the Minnesota Department of Corrections-Field Services and credited for three days served. A $1,000 fine was stayed.

Felony 1st degree assault, 3rd degree assault-victim under four and another child endangerment charge were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Successful probation completion will reduce the felony conviction to a misdemeanor.

Probation conditions include individual therapy at the discretion of mental health professionals, attend support groups as directed by probation, comply with a Child Protective Services Case Plan and all referrals for services and complete 40 hours sentence to service/community work service within a year of June 27, 2023.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police Patrol Officer Andrew Kuester and Cpl. Dustin Fleck responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive baby at 4:09 a.m., July 9, 2022.

At the scene, Cpl. Fleck said the baby was either not breathing or taking very shallow breaths before officers have the baby oxygen and he began crying.

The baby was transported to Children’s Minnesota Hospital in St. Paul, then to the Midwest Children’s Resource Center (MCRC), St. Paul.

Andrews told New Ulm Police Senior Investigator Jeff Hohensee he was responsible for two night-time feedings, he changed the baby, who was crying and screaming, took him downstairs, but the baby would not take the bottle. Andrews said out of frustration, he dropped the baby into a bouncer, from just below his knees, but missed it and the baby hit his head on the floor. Andrews said the baby cried for a short time and went unresponsive.

Dr. Swenson of the MCRC examined the baby including a full skeletal and told Senior Investigator Hohensee that a fall from that height could have caused some of the baby’s injuries but not others. Dr. Swenson said he believed the baby was the victim of being shaken very violently.