Duluth man charged with burning 3-year-old

A Duluth man accused of burning a 3-year-old with a lighter made an initial appearance in Douglas County Circuit Court last week.

Robert Charles Duhaime, 26, faces one count felony physical abuse of a child-intentionally cause great bodily harm and misdemeanor counts of battery, domestic abuse and intimidation of a victim, domestic abuse. He was released on a $2,000 signature bond with the conditions that he have no contact with the child, no violent or abusive contact with an adult female victim and that he get mugged and printed.

According to the criminal complaint:

Duhaime pulled the woman’s hair while she was in her Superior residence. When she called 911 for help, he unplugged the phone cord from the wall causing it to hang up.

The woman told Superior police officers that about a week earlier, she took the garbage out and observed Duhaime playing with a lighter. When she returned inside, her 3-year-old child was crying. The child had a shoulder injury that Duhaime said was a rug burn.

Officers observed blistering on the child’s shoulder consistent with a lighter burn.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Wednesday.

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