Former Kennewick man locked up for alleged abuse of 2-month-old stepson

A former Kennewick man is locked up on $50,000 bail, days after his arrest for allegedly abusing his 2-month-old stepson.

Zak L. Wilding, 21, pleaded innocent on Friday in Benton County Superior Court to one count of second-degree assault of a child with domestic violence.

The charge includes the aggravating circumstance of victim vulnerability.

Wilding was picked up Monday in Thurston County on an arrest warrant that was issued when he didn’t appear in court as scheduled Jan. 25. He was then transferred to the Benton County jail.

Wilding reportedly lives in the Tumwater area.

According to court documents, the baby was hurt while under Wilding’s care for a five-hour period in November 2015.

When the mother came home from work, Wilding got up off the couch and handed her the infant, saying he had been “crying for three (expletive) hours,” documents said.

The mother noticed that her son was bleeding from the mouth and had a cut and bruise on the top of his head. She took the baby to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland the next day because she was concerned about the boy’s incessant crying.

Doctors discovered the baby had bleeding on the brain, multiple broken bones, bruising in his mouth and previously broken ribs that were starting to heal, court documents said. The boy had to be flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane for further treatment, and has since recovered from the injuries.

Wilding told investigators that he became overwhelmed while watching the infant, and admitted grabbing the boy under the armpits and also squeezing him around the back, documents said.

Wilding was given a March 20 trial date. He’s been ordered to have no contact with the boy, and to stay away from all children under age 12 while the case is pending.

This story was originally published February 5, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Former Kennewick man locked up for alleged abuse of 2-month-old stepson."