Man sentenced to 10 years for injury to child

COEUR d'ALENE - A 27-year-old Post Falls man was sentenced on Friday in 1st District Court to 10 years in prison for felony injury to a child.

Michael R. Edinger will be eligible for parole during the last eight years of his sentence, which was handed down by District Court Judge Lansing Haynes.

An investigation by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department revealed that Edinger caused a spiral fracture to the leg of his fiancee's 2-year-old son, who was in Edinger's care at the time of the injury. Edinger was arrested in September.

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh said Edinger admitted he had "snapped" while trying to change the boy's diaper and broke the leg, after initially claiming the injury had occurred while the boy was playing.

Edinger said the boy was crying and being uncooperative, and Edinger grabbed the boy's leg, twisted it, and slammed it to the floor, McHugh said.

Edinger could not explain why he did it, the prosecutor said.

Edinger's criminal history included two convictions for driving under the influence, and being a minor in possession of alcohol.

"The long sentence imposed by Judge Haynes is justified by the nature of this crime, especially taking into consideration that a defenseless child was seriously injured," McHugh said.

McHugh described Edinger's lack of remorse as "troubling."

"We hope that the period of incarceration will deter Mr. Edinger in the future from such reckless and violent conduct," he said.