A southeast Iowa man, who was accused of animal torture, is now charged with abusing his young son. Twenty-eight year old Terry Lee Wilson of Fort Madison was arrested Tuesday and charged with child endangerment. According to court documents in Lee County, Wilson hit his 20 month old son with a wooden paddle – described as 18 inches long, four inches wide and one-half inch thick.

The alleged abuse took place on January 28, the same day that a judge declared a mistrial in Wilson’s animal torture trial. Wilson had been accused of killing his dog with a samurai sword. A day-care provider told investigators that she found large bruises on Wilson’s son while changing his diaper. If convicted on the child endangerment charge, Wilson could face up to five years in prison.

Audio: Radio Iowa’s Pat Curtis reports. :44 MP3

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