A Maplewood man is charged with malicious punishment of a child after he allegedly struck his daughter multiple times with a spatula and wrestled her to the ground, an incident that was captured on home video.
The charge was filed Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court.
Adam John Ellsworth, 41, faces one gross misdemeanor count of malicious punishment of a child causing less than substantial bodily harm, according to the criminal complaint.
On Friday, May 1, the victim told police she was journaling about things Ellsworth and his fiancée had been saying about her so she could discuss it with her therapist. Her journals were taken away, and when she tried to retrieve them, Ellsworth allegedly made her stand in a corner for an extended period as punishment, the complaint states.
While she was in the corner, Ellsworth approached the girl with a spatula and struck her multiple times on the head and body, according to the complaint. She tried to get away, but Ellsworth grabbed her and they struggled physically, eventually wrestling on the ground. The victim said she received a scratch on her throat during the incident and was eventually able to break free.
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Ellsworth’s fiancée showed an officer home video of the incident. In the video, the victim is told by Ellsworth to stand in the corner and complies. Ellsworth then retrieves a spatula from the kitchen and attempts to strike her on the head, court documents say. The victim tries to pull away, and Ellsworth pulls her by the sweatshirt from the corner into the dining room.
She breaks away and yells “Get away,” but Ellsworth takes an aggressive stance and appears to challenge her, the complaint states. Other children in the home are crying. Ellsworth then advances toward the victim, grabs her around the head and neck area and wrestles her to the floor. The video ends at that point.
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Photos taken of the victim’s injuries showed a red abrasion and scratch on her neck, a purple and blue bruise on her right upper thigh, a bruise on her upper left arm, a bruise and abrasions on her upper right arm, bruises on the right side of her body around the kidney area and bruising on her right hand. Her hands appeared slightly swollen, according to the complaint.
After arrest, Ellsworth told police that any markings on the victim would have been caused by the dog because the “dog is defensive” over him, the complaint says.
The victim’s mother reported the abuse to Maplewood police, saying she had picked up her daughter early from Ellsworth during his parenting time due to the incident.
Ellsworth was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on May 2 and was released on May 4 with “Level 2” supervision, including a domestic abuse no-contact order and a requirement to contact JusticePoint, a non-profit that works with the county for pre-trial services and conditional release, within 24 hours.
His next court date is an omnibus hearing on June 16. If convicted, Ellsworth faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail or a $3,000 fine, or both.
