Havre man charged with child abuse

A Havre man is in the Hill County jail on pending charges that he abused a minor after a day of drinking at a barbecue.

William B. Lavenger Jr., born in 1977, pleaded not guilty in state District Court in Havre to a felony charge of assault on a minor stemming from accusations he was punching a small child on the back. He is scheduled for an omnibus hearing May 28.

According to the charging documents, a woman and a child protective services caseworker contacted the Havre Police Department April 29 to report a child abuse issue.

The woman reported that she and the defendant and her children had...