LOGAN — A 43-year-old Newton man has been arrested for allegedly whipping a young girl with a belt, according to law enforcement. Russell Lee Jensen was booked Wednesday into the Cache County Jail.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Cache County Sheriff’s deputies received a child abuse report in September. The complainant described how his six-year-old daughter had significant bruising on her bottom and upper legs. The man said the child had been at Jensen’s home earlier.
The alleged victim was taken to the Cache Children’s Justice Center for a forensic examination and interview. A nurse noted the bruises on the child were consistent with inflicted trauma.
The girl told investigators she had been spanked with a belt by Jensen, a family relative. She described how he became unhappy with her for an unknown reason, and also pulled her hair with his hands, charging documents stated.
A caseworker with the Division of Child and Family Services talked with Jensen about the incident. He denied striking the child and claimed she had fallen off of a haystack.
According to court documents, Jensen has been charged in 1st District Court with one count of aggravated child abuse, a first-degree felony. He will likely be arraigned Friday morning.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.