A Wrightstown man accused of helping his wife starve and mentally abuse his adopted 5-year-old son has scheduled his preliminary hearing.
Bradley Fahrenkrug, 40, appeared in Brown County court Tuesday. He and his wife, Kimberly Fahrenkrug, 38, are charged with multiple counts of child abuse and neglect.
They brought their son to UW American Family Children's Hospital in early April saying he was refusing to eat, according to the criminal complaint. He weighed just 29 pounds, doctors said.
However, doctors found the child was acting normal and ate everything given to him, court documents said.
After further investigation, officers found the parents forced their son to only eat soup and made him walk laps with a weighted backpack, court documents said.
Those certified in recognizing child abuse called the situation an "egregious example of child starvation and torture," court documents said.
Fahrenkrug's wife, Kimberly, was supposed to appear in court as well Tuesday but did not. A new court date has not been scheduled for her yet.
Fahrenkrug will be back in court August 11.
The young boy is living with a foster family.
