Hearing delayed for man accused of punching infant son

By Tiffany Gibson

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 | 12:01 p.m.

The preliminary hearing for a 25-year-old Las Vegas man accused of punching his 4-month-old son in the head and putting him in a freezer was delayed Wednesday until attorneys review the infant's medical records.

Randy Thomsen, 25, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center in connection with one count of child abuse with substantial bodily harm for allegedly fracturing the skull and ribs of his son, Alexander.

He appeared before North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Stephen Dahl this morning for a scheduled preliminary hearing. Dahl set a status check for July 28 so attorneys could review medical records in the meantime.

Thomsen was arrested by Metro Police after officers responded to Sunrise Hospital on June 10 to investigate injuries that appeared to have been caused by the infant accidentally falling from a couch. The boy's mother told police she was at work and Thomsen was at home when the baby fell off the couch at their home in the 2200 block of North Rancho Drive.

Metro then handed the case to North Las Vegas Justice Court because the Rancho Drive location isn't in their jurisdiction.

Sunrise medical personnel said X-rays showed the baby had a skull fracture and possible injuries to the ribs.

The infant first was taken to MountainView Hospital on June 4 for X-rays and then to Sunrise after skeletal tests showed the child had healing rib fractures and mild displacement, according to the arrest report.

Police said medical records also showed Thomsen took the baby to MountainView on April 29 after the baby began having a seizure. He reported that Alexander was eating when his eyes rolled back and he became limp. The infant was diagnosed as having seizures caused by too high or too low sodium levels.

Both parents were educated on the proper way to feed the baby because they had been mixing formula incorrectly, police said.

Officers said the mother believed the boy's injuries were suffered from the baby’s fall from the couch on May 27.

After the boy’s fall, Thomsen told officers he noticed a soft spot on the baby’s head that began to grow into a bump, and he could hear a cracking sound in the infant’s rib area when he would pick him up, the report said.

Thomsen said Alexander became sick on June 9 and they took him to see a doctor to describe the sound.

A pediatric radiologist found Alexander had four rib fractures that were 10 to 14 days old. Authorities determined there might also be a fifth fracture.

Medical personnel said the fractures were inconsistent with falling off a couch. Officials also said the fractured ribs weren't on the same side of the body as the skull fracture.

The mother then told police that her 5-year-old daughter could have caused the injuries when she took the baby out of the crib, the report said.

Detectives interviewed the toddler and she said Thomsen would often punch the baby in the head with his fist, the report said. The girl also said he would put the baby in the freezer and shut the door. He would then take Alexander back out and give him a bath, the girl said.

She also witnessed Thomsen place his hand over the baby’s mouth and shake, punch and kick him in the buttocks area, according to the police report. Thomsen would only hit the baby when the boy's mother was at work, the report said, although police say the woman initially lied to officers about her work schedule because she thought her children would be taken away if she didn’t make enough money.

Thomsen told police he becomes frustrated when the baby cries and had to walk outside or turn up the volume on the TV. He denied purposely hurting his son but said he has been told that he doesn’t know his own strength, the report said.

Police said Thomsen has a criminal history that includes charges of battery with a deadly weapon with substantial bodily harm, battery with deadly weapon, attempted murder with deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon. He is a documented gang member, authorities said.

He has felony convictions for burglary and grand larceny from 2004. He also was convicted of gross misdemeanors for conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to commit battery with use of a deadly weapon.

Thomsen is being held on $20,000 bail.