Trial set in child abuse case

Published 10:13 am Tuesday, February 1, 2011

PROCTORVILLE — A tentative trial date has been set for a Proctorville man accused of throwing his toddler son against a wall and injuring him.

William K. Estep, 21, of 102 N. Jones St., will face trial March 3 and 4. The man is charged with felonious assault, tampering with evidence and endangering children.

Detective Aaron Bollinger of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office said Estep admitted to picking up the child, who is now 2 years old, and throwing him into a large wooden portion of a wall where the boy hit his head. The man said he was frustrated with the child when the incident occurred, Bollinger said.

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Estep then got scared and carried the boy to the bottom of steps and made up a story about the child falling down the steps, Bollinger said.

The boy was treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, though he is currently at Cabell Huntington Hospital, Bollinger said.

As of the last update that the detective had received from the boy’s mother, Bollinger said the boy had suffered brain damage and was partially paralyzed. His condition is not likely to improve, Bollinger said.

A pretrial hearing in the matter is scheduled for Feb. 9. Estep’s trial is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on March 3 and 4 in Judge Charles Cooper’s courtroom in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court. Reached Monday, Estep’s attorney Mike Gleichauf did not comment on the case.