Merrill man pleads no contest to child neglect charge in death of his 15-month-old son
MERRILL – A 26-year-old father pleaded no contest Monday to helping cause the death of his 15-month-old son.
Cody G. Robertson of Merrill was found guilty of being a party to the crime of neglecting a child resulting in death. Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Robert Russell ordered a presentence investigation and scheduled the sentencing for Nov. 28. Robertson faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of being a party to the crimes of child neglect, manufacture of amphetamine, amphetamine possession, marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia to manufacture methamphetamine in the presence of a child and possession of drug paraphernalia possession were dismissed but will be considered at the time of sentencing.
The baby's mother, Amber Boyd, 23, of Merrill, was sentenced July 7 to four years in prison and seven years extended supervision for neglecting a child resulting in death.
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According to the criminal complaint, at 1:22 p.m. Nov. 12, 2020, Boyd called 911 and told a Lincoln County dispatcher her baby wasn't breathing. Boyd told the dispatcher she found the baby on the floor near the bathroom.
Emergency responders saw numerous bruises and scabs at several locations on the boy, and it appeared someone had tried to use makeup to cover them, according to the complaint.
A doctor who conducted an autopsy on the boy Nov. 13, 2020, reported the child had pneumonia. The doctor also found a history of abuse and multiple injuries on the boy's body, including more than 20 injuries to his head, according to the complaint. The boy's injuries were not lethal.
A blood sample taken from the boy tested positive for methamphetamine. Urine samples from the boy's siblings also tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
Officers found methamphetamine on a dresser in a bedroom of the home, according to the complaint. They also found drug paraphernalia, marijuana, LSD and a scale.
Boyd told officers she snorted methamphetamine off a plate on Nov. 10, 2020, after Robertson, who also lived at the Merrill home, left for work. She said Robertson smoked methamphetamine in the living room the morning of Nov. 12, 2020.
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Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KMadden715, Instagram at @kmadden715 or Facebook at facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Merrill man pleads no contest to helping cause his son's death
