Photo: Dakota County Sheriff’s Office
An 8-year-old boy suffered multiple broken bones when an 18-year-old allegedly picked him up and threw him over the safety railing of a water slide in Minnesota, causing the boy to plunge about 30 feet, authorities say.
The teenager, 18-year-old Roman Alexander Adams, of Maple Grove, Minnesota, was arrested and charged with third-degree assault in the incident last Tuesday, PEOPLE confirms.
Adams was behind the boy in line at the water park but the individuals did not know each other, police say.
“The male gave a statement that the line was moving too slow, and so he picked up and pushed the 8-year-old over the top of the slide platform,” he says.
Adams has not entered a plea and will make his first court appearance on Sept. 17, a spokesman for the County Attorney’s Office in Dakota County tells PEOPLE.
PEOPLE’s call to Adams’ attorney, John J. Leunig, was not immediately returned.
The incident at the city-ownedApple Valley Family Aquatic Centeroccurred just before 1:35 p.m., when police were dispatched in response to an 8-year-old boy with a broken leg, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The boy’s injuries, later diagnosed at a hospital, include a broken femur in one leg, numerous fractures to both feet and shattered bones in a shoulder, the affidavit states. He remains in the hospital and his identity has not been made public, says Francis.
“The family is focusing on the care and recovery of their child, and they have asked that none of their personal information be released,” he says.
The attendant who accompanied Adams to the water park on that day did not witness the incident and was not in the area of the water slide when it happened, he says.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
The platform at the top of the slide is 28.1 feet above the ground, according to the affidavit; the top of the safety railing that surrounds the platform, and over which Adams allegedly lifted the younger boy, is 31.9 feet above the ground.
Adams was booked into Dakota County jail on a $50,000 bond with conditions, and released after posting bond.
The felony assault charge against him carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and fine up to $10,000.
source: people.com
