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Former Carrington daycare provider charged with murder of infant

Bond set at $500,000 cash or surety

A former Carrington daycare provider has been charged with murder following the tragic death of a 5-month-old infant boy in her care.

The infant son of Jesse and Brittany Nelson of Carrington was pronounced dead at a Fargo Hospital late last September, after he was found unresponsive and not breathing at the residence of Patricia Ann Wick in Carrington.

The initial indication, according to court documents, was that Nelson had suffered a traumatic head injury and subsequent cardiac arrest. Now, a complete autopsy has determined the official manner of death to be homicide.

The results of the autopsy further state that Nelson died from complications of "blunt force head and neck trauma."

Following the incident, a permanent cease and desist injunction against Wick's business was ordered after an initial investigation revealed the day care was not properly licensed and that Wick's home was not suited to host a child care center.

Meanwhile, a criminal investigation was ongoing, and on Monday, Jan. 30, Wick was charged with murder, a Class AA felony, and for operating a family child care home without a license when required, a Class B misdemeanor.

Wick also faces a felony child abuse charge for a separate incident, in which a child suffered a broken arm while in her care.

In an affidavit of probable cause written by Carrington Police Chief, Christopher Bittmann, he describes how he arrived at Wick's residence on Sept. 26 to find the 5-month-old being administered CPR by his own mother, before he himself took over resuscitation.

"I administered CPR by using my index and middle finger, which is protocol for a child of that size," states Bittmann. "I used enough force to compress the diaphragm in the middle of the child's chest."

Eventually, Nelson was taken via ambulance to the CHI St. Alexius Medical Center in Carrington, before being flown by Life Flight to the Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, where he died two days later.

When investigators spoke to Wick about what happened on Sept. 26, she stated that she had laid the child to bed after feeding him, but that he was only sleeping 10-15 minutes at a time and had woken up another child.

Documents state that Wick then grabbed the infant and placed him on a blanket, before leaving and helping another child in the kitchen. Then, Wick began to hear coughing in the other room from the child.

"Patricia went to the living room and saw R.N. vomiting," states court documents. "Patricia rolled R.N. on his side and Patricia said R.N. 'just wasn't there.'"

The next day, during an interview at the Carrington Police Station, Wick admitted to not being gentle with Nelson, telling investigators she "may have put R.N. down too hard," and that she was "frustrated" with him that day.

Meanwhile, regarding the child abuse charge, court documents state Wick failed to notify parents that their child had injured himself on the swing set - which was later identified to be unsafe - and that Wick had told the parents their child was faking his level of injury.

After the parents picked him up, the child was taken to the emergency room where it was revealed he'd broken his arm.

A warrant for Wick's arrest was issued, and on Jan. 30 she was arrested and booked at the Stutsman County Correctional Center in Jamestown.

This afternoon, an initial hearing and a bail hearing were conducted via Zoom by the Honorable Judge James D. Hovey. Independent reporter Erik Gjovik attended the hearing in person at the Foster County Courthouse.

Foster County State's Attorney Kara Brinster recommended that bond be set at $1 million cash or surety.

Attorney Dan Frisk was also present on the Zoom call, understood to be representing Wick in a limited capacity. He voiced his belief that Wick is neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk, adding that “she is not a hardened criminal” and that she does not have the means to support herself if she were to flee.

“I’d ask for something that’s attainable,” said Frisk, and recommended a bond of $250,000 cash or surety.

Judge Hovey set bail at $500,000 cash or surety. He also ordered Wick to have no contact with the victims' families.

Wick is due in Foster County District Court for an initial appearance in the case on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Wick is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The maximum penalty for Class AA felony murder in the state of North Dakota is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, and the child abuse charge carries an additional maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.

The Class B misdemeanor charge, meanwhile, carries a maximum penalty of 30 days imprisonment and/or a $1,500 fine.

The investigation is ongoing, and if anyone has additional information regarding the incident, they are asked to contact the Carrington Police Department at (701) 652-3321.

The Foster County State's Attorney, Kara E. Brinster, and the Carrington Police Department were assisted in this investigation by N.D. Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Buffalo Bridges Human Services Zone and others.

This is a developing story. The Independent will post more information as the case progresses.