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Daycare provider pleads guilty of assaulting child
Michelle Holte entered her plea Wednesday after being charged back in October for admitting to injuring the child while he was in her care.
CHAMPLIN, Minn. — A Champlin woman pleaded guilty to first-degree assault after a 6-month-old was put into a medically induced coma due to injuries suffered while in the woman’s care.
Michelle Holte entered her plea Wednesday after being charged back in October for admitting to injuring the child while he was in her care. Holte was running a daycare center out of Champlin when she “tossed” the child and put him down “harder than normal,” according to court documents. Officials say she noticed the child wasn’t focusing and that his eyes were slanted. She told investigators she felt “overwhelmed and frustrated,” according to the criminal complaint, adding that she had reached “a breaking point, in a bad way. In a wrong way.”
Following Holte’s admission, officials consulted a doctor, who said the injuries are consistent with the story told. The child, who officials say suffered a hematoma, was put in a medically induced coma and had part of his skull removed to help brain swelling, according to medical records. Officials say the records indicate the injuries are “highly suggestive of abusive head trauma and severe child physical abuse.” It’s also believed that the injuries will have “long-term medical consequences,” according to court documents.
Prosecutors say the parents noticed signs of possible child abuse after picking him up on Oct. 18. According to the criminal complaint, the parents said the child’s eyes were turned to the left at pick-up and then closed during the ride home. One of the parents then noticed the child wouldn’t turn his head straight, and that his eyes were bouncing while veering left. The child was eventually taken to the hospital and is currently in critical condition.
Holte initially told investigators that the 6-month-old was injured when another child dropped him, however, a doctor said that the injuries didn’t align with that story. Officials spoke with the child that Holte accused of dropping the 6-month-old, and that child told officials that Holte was “rough” with the 6-month-old. Using an anatomical doll to describe what Holte did to the 6-month-old, the child took the doll to eye level and dropped the doll on the table. During the post-Miranda interview, Holte admitted to tossing the 6-month-old.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 24, 2024.
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Police are investigating after three men were shot early on Saturday morning.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police are investigating after three men were shot in the Ventura Village neighborhood early Saturday morning.
According to Minneapolis police, officers were called to the area around East 21st Street and South 15th Avenue around 5 a.m. Saturday.
Officers found three men had been shot. One of the men died and the two others were taken to the hospital with what police described as life-threatening injuries.
Officials said the shooting happened at a small homeless encampment.
Police have not announced any arrests as of Saturday morning.
KARE 11 will update this story as more information is made available.
This Halloween the chocolate shop is getting very festive.
MARINE ON SAINT CROIX, Minn. — A small sweet shop in a Minnesota river town has won some BIG awards for its chocolates.
St. Croix Chocolate Company in Marine on St. Croix has won national and international awards including Best of Show in this year’s America’s Division of the International Chocolate Awards.
Their chocolates are available at the St. Croix Chocolate Company kitchen or online.
This Halloween they are selling a Halloween Countdown Calendar that features 14 prize-winning recipes made into ghosts, bats, skulls and other spooky configurations. They also have a Boo Bag-handled tote that comes with their “best of” Halloween assortment.
Owner and Chocolatier, Robyn Dochterman, joined KARE 11 Saturday to share what St. Croix Chocolate Company has to offer.
MINNEAPOLIS — Making pasta at home is relatively simple, as long as you have the right tools.
October is National Pasta Month and Red Rabbit‘s Corporate Chef, Adam Lerner, joined KARE 11 Saturday to show us how to make homemade noodles in the confines of your own kitchen.
