New Richmond man gets probation for beating father, who later died

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New Richmond man gets two years of probation for beating his father with Alzheimer’s, who went into a coma and died four months later.

A northwest Wisconsin man will spend two years on probation after he beat up his father, who fell into a coma and died four months later. The father, Raymond Fagnan, 82, of New Richmond, had Alzheimer’s disease.

As part of his sentence, Martin Fangan, 58, must serve 50 hours in a nursing home with dementia patients.

He pleaded no contest Tuesday in St. Croix County to felony and misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

Prosecutors said the two got into a heated argument in their garage last August. The father hit his son in the head with a wooden board, causing a minor scrape.

And then Martin Fagnan admitted pushing his dad to the ground and punching him three times in the face.

Martin pleaded guilty last October to misdemeanor battery, and was fined $250.

Raymond Fagnan died in December. A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, but relatives disputed the finding because pneumonia was also found in the man’s lungs.

Tags: new richmond, wisconsin, alzheimers, father, beating