Stepfather Charged With Malicious Punishment of a Child in Incident at Oakdale Home

A South St. Paul man was arrested on Thanksgiving Day for allegedly picking up his 6-year-old stepson by the neck and slamming him on a frozen deck.

According to a Washington County criminal complaint filed on Nov. 25:

Benjamin Lee Reno, 32, doled out the alleged punishment to his 6-year-old stepson after the boy was involved in an accident that caused his 18-month-old stepbrother a bloody lip. 

According to the complaint, the 6-year-old and the 18-month-old were playing outside on the deck of the Oakdale home when the younger boy slipped and cut his lip. 

The young boy's lip was bleeding "heavily" after the accident and, after hearing screams, the boys' mother rushed outside to offer aid, the complaint states.

When the older boy came back in the house, Reno allegedly jumped up, grabbed the boy around the neck with both hands, walked him outside and lifted him above his head. 

According to Reno's mother-in-law, Reno's arms were fully outstretched before he threw the boy down on the wooden deck. 

Reno allegedly told the young boy that if he wanted to be a bully, he would show him what a bully was, the complaint states. 

The complaint says the boy landed on his bottom and lower back and had the wind knocked out of him.

After witnessing the incident, the mother-in-law ran outside and told Reno to never touch the boy like that again. 

Reno then yelled at the boy, "I didn't even hurt you that bad," and then left the residence once everyone began yelling, the complaint says.

When Oakdale police arrived at the scene, the mother-in-law told officers that the 6-year-old reported being hit in the back of the head with a remote control just prior to arriving at her house. 

The complaint says Oakdale police did find a small lump on the back of the boy's head. 

During their investigation, Oakdale police visited Reno in the Washington County Jail on Nov. 25. 

In a recorded interview, Reno told police he picked up the child by his shoulders and when the boy wouldn't listen he simply released him, rather than throwing him down on the deck. 

According to the complaint, Reno apologized to the 6-year-old child and told him there was no excuse for his behavior. 

Reno was charged with gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child. If convicted, Reno faces up to 12 months in prison and a $3,000 fine.