CHARLES CITY – A man who had recently moved to Mason City and was accused of breaking an infant’s ribs has been sent to prison for 10 years.
William Werner Khuns, age 21, was taken to jail on the morning of March 9, 2016, when Charles City police came to Mason City, found him near the 1000 block of 4th Street SW and arrested him on an arrest warrant on two counts of child endangerment causing serious injury. According to a report from the Associated Press, Kuhns caused serious injuries to an infant when he broke the baby’s ribs by twisting the baby’s arm behind its back and squeezing until he heard a “pop”. The AP reports Kuhns’ actions caused nine bones to break.
Khuns, who claimed to work at Curries and live in Mason City, entered a not-guilty plea in April.  After a few postponements, Khuns entered a guilty plea on August 26, 2016, to one count of child endangerment causing serious injury. He was sentenced on October 17 to ten years in prison with credit for time served. He must also pay $631.64 in court costs. He was shipped the next day to the Oakdale prison in Coralville for processing.
Kuhns was arrested three times in November of 2015, for stealing and trespassing (twice) at a store he wasn’t supposed to be in.  He later pleaded guilty.  Also in January of 2016, he was arrested by Charles City police for illegal possession of marijuana.  He skipped a court date and a warrant was issued for his arrest in that case, too.  He later pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $900.31 in fines and court fees, spend two days in jail, lose his driver’s license for 180 days and submit a DNA sample.
