Man acquitted of putting toddler in clothes dryer; defence said mom did it in her sleep

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – A man accused of putting a child in a dryer has been acquitted after the defence argued that the boy’s mother did it while sleepwalking.

Dustin Holdaway was acquitted Thursday in a Grand Traverse County court. Assistant prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg was surprised that jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle (http://bit.ly/1SB0ZQP ) reports that two previous trials ended in mistrials.

Moeggenberg argued that Holdaway put his girlfriend’s toddler in a dryer and turned it on earlier this year. But defence attorney Stephen Kane told the jury that the boy’s mother did it “in her sleep.”

Moeggenberg says the boy is no longer with his mother. She says he’s fascinated by dryers, a sign of post-traumatic stress.

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Information from: Traverse City Record-Eagle, http://www.record-eagle.com