By Shereen Siewert
A teenager given a withheld sentence in a near-fatal beating that left a boy critically injured in Wausau is behind bars Friday, facing a range of new recommended felony charges.
Brendan Griffin, now 17, was convicted Dec. 14 in Marathon County Circuit Court on charges of child abuse-intentionally causing great bodily harm by use of a dangerous weapon. As part of a plea agreement, Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobson sentenced Griffin to five years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision – but stayed the sentence for a 10-year probation term. Griffin was also ordered to spend six months in jail as part of the agreement, which would have allowed him to stay out of prison if he successfully completes probation.
But Marathon County Jail intake records show Griffin is back behind bars after being taken into custody on Thursday. He is being held on preliminary charges of child enticement, strangulation and suffocation, underage sexual activity and child sexual exploitation. Details surrounding his arrest are not yet available.
The brutal beating for which Griffin was convicted happened on July 1, 2019 in the 600 block of Chicago Avenue. Police say Griffin, Jordan Meyer, Michael Hrobsky and Benjamin Dickerson beat a 15-year-old boy with a baseball bat. The victim suffered traumatic injuries and spent weeks in intensive care.
Because Griffin was given a stayed sentence, he could be forced to face a judge once again and be sentenced to prison for his role in the 2019 attack.
A court appearance is set for Friday afternoon.
