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Man convicted of child abuse

Updated: Friday, 10 Feb 2012, 8:38 AM CST
Published : Friday, 10 Feb 2012, 8:38 AM CST

FOND DU LAC (AP) - A jury has convicted a Fond du Lac man of physically abusing a 2-year-old girl who suffered a severe skull fracture and now has permanent brain damage.

The jury deliberated for four hours before convicting 21-year-old Thomas H. Abitz Jr. Thursday. He was found guilty of child abuse and felony bail jumping.

A report in The Reporter in Fond du Lac says the girl was injured last year when she was with Abitz.

Defense attorney Michael O'Rourke says she was hurt accidentally when Abitz was playing "airplane" with her and her head hit a wall. Doctors testified that the severity of the head injuries wasn't consistent with that story.

Prosecutors say the girl has permanent brain damage. She'll require full-time assistance for the rest of her life.