BRAINERD — A 37-year-old Crosslake man faces a felony after allegedly helping a Crosslake woman, charged with torturing her children, evade arrest.
Christopher Martin Badowicz was booked Nov. 23 in the Crow Wing County Jail on a felony charge of aiding an offender to avoid arrest. He made his first appearance in court Monday, Nov. 28.
Two days before Badowicz’s arrest, the Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office filed six felony charges against Jorden Nicole Borders following a child maltreatment investigation. Authorities issued a warrant for her arrest after they were unable to locate her.
Badowicz’s charging document stated on the evening of Nov. 23, law enforcement officers attempted to locate Borders, who shares a residence with Badowicz in Crosslake. After dark, an officer made his way through the woods behind the residence and observed Borders and Badowicz sitting together in the living room.
With Borders identified, officers responded to the home. The responding officers noted security cameras pointed down the driveway as they were walking up to the house.
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The officer behind the house saw both people stand up before officers reached the home. They saw Borders run into a bedroom as Badowicz exited the home and met the officers in the driveway.
After being detained outside the house, officers told Badowicz they had a warrant for Borders’ arrest, the complaint stated. Badowicz told officers Borders was not there. He also told officers the police were at the house multiple times already, which confirmed he was aware law enforcement were seeking Borders.
The officer behind the house approached the window of the room Borders ran to and told her she was seen and to come out. Borders came to the front door, where she was met by Crow Wing County deputies and taken into custody.
Badowicz was charged with felony aiding an offender to avoid arrest. The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to three years in prison, a $5,000 fine or both. He is due in court again Dec. 6.
Child torture charges
Borders was charged with three serious felony counts of child torture and three felony counts of stalking. The torture charges carry a maximum penalty of up to 25 years in prison, a $35,000 fine or both. The penalty for the stalking charges includes a maximum of 10 years of prison time and/or a $20,000 fine.
Stalking is described in Minnesota statute as when the perpetrator knows — or has reason to know — they would cause a victim to feel terrorized or to fear bodily harm, and when their actions do cause those feelings.
A child maltreatment investigation by the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office began in May after Children’s Minnesota hospital in the Twin Cities treated one of her children for dropping hemoglobin numbers, according to the criminal complaint. The hospital monitored the child and determined the only explanation for the condition appeared to be someone removing blood from their body.
The interview with the children conducted Nov. 21 by authorities revealed their mother frequently withdrew blood from the child using stolen syringes and they were instructed not to tell anyone.
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Borders received financial assistance from the state of Minnesota to care for this child and was nominated to receive several gifts and money from nonprofit foundations in the area, the complaint stated, totaling more than $35,000.
As part of the investigation, authorities learned Borders also allegedly self-diagnosed her other two children as suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta, otherwise known as brittle bones disease. One child wore a cast fashioned by Borders for 796 days, or about two years and two months.
Monday, Borders appeared in court, where she was granted a public defender and bail/bond was set at $200,000 without conditions and $125,000 with conditions. Borders posted conditional bond Tuesday and was due back in court Thursday.
Conditions include Borders remaining law-abiding, making all future court appearances, maintaining contact with her attorney, keeping the court informed of her current address, not possessing or using firearms or dangerous weapons, not leaving the state without written court approval and not having contact with people under the age of 18.
The Trust Project
