A Mineral County man has been charged with assault of a minor for slamming a child to the ground during the national anthem at the Mineral County fairgrounds.
The 13-year-old boy was flown to Spokane after receiving temporal skull fractures in the incident that occurred over the weekend.
Witnesses told MTN News Curt Brockway grabbed the boy, picked him up, and slammed him on the ground because he did not remove his hat during the national anthem.
The parents said the child was bleeding from his ear for nearly six hours after the incident.
“It’s just a lot of pain in my head. I don’t remember anything – the rodeo – the helicopter – nothing,” the minor told MTN News.
The boy has been released from the hospital and is home where he will continue healing, according to his parents.
Brockway was arrested Saturday night and made his initial court appearance Monday in Mineral County.
The state requested his bond be set to $100,000, however, the judge ruled Brockway can be released on his own recognizance. Brockway had not been released as of 5 p.m. Monday.
This is not Brockway’s first run-in with police. He pleaded guilty to an assault with a weapon charge that occurred in 2011.
