By Shereen Siewert
A former Weston man accused of tying up an 8-year-old boy and forcing him to sit in his own waste for two days will spend at least eight years in prison after his sentencing this month.
Nathan Pogrant, of Eland, was convicted by a jury following a four-day trial in September. He was sentenced Dec. 15 by Marathon County Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill, in a Shawano courtroom.
An investigation began in October 2019 after the boy was found, hungry, dirty and wearing large shoes that did not fit him, walking on Hwy. 45 alone. The boy initially police he had been dropped off there. But he later disclosed to investigators he had spent two nights locked in the basement, wearing a hooded “straight jacket” and tied to a chair with a cord around his body and bike locks on his legs, court records show. Investigators say the boy had bruises on his shoulder and face and what appeared to be a rope mark on his stomach.
On Sept. 29, a jury found 40-year-old Pogrant guilty of child abuse/intentionally causing harm, reckless child abuse with the probability of great harm, false imprisonment and six counts of bail jumping. He was acquitted of several additional counts of false imprisonment and a charge of possessing marijuana.
The boy’s condition shocked police and prosecutors, who said he had only been fed a single peanut butter sandwich one day before he escaped the home. The boy said “Nathan” would play music and turn up the volume to drown out the sound of the boy’s crying.
The boy’s mother, who has not been charged with a crime, confirmed the boy’s story and said she didn’t know why she did not put a stop to the alleged abuse. The boy told police he escaped by loosening the hoodie and untying the cord around his stomach before wriggling out of the bicycle locks on his legs. While Pogrant and the boy’s mother were asleep, he crept away from the home and began walking.
In addition to the eight-year prison term, Pogrant was sentenced to nine years of extended supervision upon release. But he could face additional time in prison connected to a Marathon County case. Court records show Pogrant faces charges of sexual assault with the use of force in a December 2016 case. A status hearing on those charges is set for Jan. 10 in Wausau.
