COEUR D’ALENE, ID — A 28-year-old Hayden man will serve time in prison after being convicted of felony Injury to Child for severely abusing his infant son over the course of several weeks.

William Josef Baures was sentenced on June 30, 2025, in Kootenai County District Court to 10 years in prison, with parole eligibility after five years. The sentencing followed a disturbing case that began on Christmas Day 2024, when a five-week-old infant was brought to the emergency room at Kootenai Health with a fractured femur. Medical staff alerted authorities to suspected child abuse.

An investigation by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the infant had suffered more than two dozen fractures, including multiple broken ribs and leg bones. According to the prosecutor’s office, Baures admitted to repeatedly abusing the child by squeezing and shaking him, pulling on his legs, pushing on his shoulders, tossing him onto furniture, and attempting to pop his back. Investigators said Baures demonstrated the abuse using a training doll, at one point folding it in half.

Baures claimed he was sleep-deprived and was trying to calm the infant down at the time of the injuries. However, prosecutors emphasized the prolonged nature and severity of the abuse.

At sentencing, Criminal Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura McClinton recommended a 10-year sentence with eligibility for parole after seven years. District Judge Barry McHugh ultimately imposed a 10-year sentence with parole eligibility after five.

Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Stanley T. Mortensen credited McClinton, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Molly Nivison, and the sheriff’s office for their work on the case.

“The Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office aggressively prosecutes child abuse and attempts to use its voice to speak for the most helpless and vulnerable of victims,” Mortensen said.