A jury trial for Brandyn Schultz, 26, of Lima, commenced Tuesday in connection with three charges relating to alleged child abuse. Schultz faces one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and two separate counts of endangering children, one a second-degree felony and the other a fourth-degree felony, according to court records.
The trial began with testimony from medical professionals who treated the infant victim. Megan Schulte, a registered nurse at Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, was the first witness called to the stand. Schulte detailed the medical timeline of the infant's treatment, noting during her examination that the left upper leg appeared more swollen than the right, which she identified as a significant indicator.
Following Schulte's testimony, Brooke Fanning, a certified physician’s assistant also from St. Rita’s, took the stand. Fanning testified about reviewing medical notes and vital signs related to the case on February 4. She informed the jury that she initiated a call to Allen County Children Services, explaining her reasoning that a femur fracture is unusual for a 7-week-old who cannot walk or roll over. She also confirmed the accuracy of X-ray exhibits displayed in court, which depicted the victim’s fracture.
After the testimonies from the two St. Rita’s Medical Center witnesses, the jury was dismissed for the day. The trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.
Court records indicate that Schultz has a prior conviction for child endangerment, for which he is currently on probation. This previous conviction stemmed from an incident involving his older son, who was approximately 8 weeks old when discovered to have sustained two broken legs and a broken arm. During the initial investigation into those injuries, Schultz provided an explanation, claiming that the mother’s other 6-year-old son had fallen onto the baby, causing the multiple fractures.
However, further investigation and a medical evaluation contradicted Schultz’s account. The medical findings indicated that the injuries to the older infant could not have resulted from a 6-year-old falling on the baby. Instead, the evaluation concluded that the injuries could only have been caused by a violent twisting or jerking of the leg, according to court records.
In court documents, it is alleged that Schultz confessed to harming the baby in the prior incident. The documents state that Schultz kept the injury to himself and subsequently created the story about the boys falling on the baby, relaying this fabricated incident to the child's mother.
