Coeur d'Alene man charged with child abuse, animal cruelty; $100,000 bail

Michael J. Stern, 63, of Coeur d'Alene is being held on $100,000 bail after authorities lodged three counts of injury to a child against him, one felony and two misdemeanors, plus misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and resisting or obstructing officers. First District Judge James Combo ordered the bail, citing concerns about Stern’s willingness to appear in court for future hearings and noting Stern’s previous felony convictions.

Court records and police reports state Stern admitted to physically restraining the child by tying the child’s wrists and ankles on multiple occasions and to other acts of physical abuse, including grabbing the child by the neck and dragging him by the hair. An officer’s report recorded that Stern “attempted to nonsensically justify his actions as ‘self-defense’ against a 10-year-old,” noting the alleged age of the victim in recounting Stern’s attempted justification.

Police and court documents further allege Stern threw objects at the child, including animal feces and a rake. Prosecutors said Stern “struggled” with the police who detained him, giving rise to the resisting or obstructing officers misdemeanor allegation in addition to the child-injury counts.

Allegations of cruelty to animals in the case include admissions that Stern “hobbled” a dog’s legs by tying them together, struck the dog with a stick and stomped on the animal’s paws. An officer’s report added that Stern “even attempted to justify his cruelty toward animals by comparing himself to an animal catcher.”

If convicted, Stern faces statutory exposure that includes the penalty for felony injury to a child, which in Idaho can carry up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors have also alleged a habitual offender enhancement because Stern has multiple previous felony convictions; the available records do not list the number or nature of those prior felonies.

The available reporting does not specify the date and time of Stern’s arrest, nor does it identify the child beyond the officer’s description as a 10-year-old. Victim names and identifying details are not part of the public record supplied in court documents; Idaho law and standard practice limit publication of minor victims’ identities.

The Stern matter arrives amid a string of serious local criminal cases tied to Kootenai County booking and court activity over the past year. Public booking records and local filings from June 12, 2025 show Benjamin Daniel Bauer was booked into the Kootenai County Jail on felony lewd-conduct charges with bail set at $400,000, and Jesse Ray Messer was booked following a transfer with multiple felony counts tied to sex-offender registration and total bail listed at $500,000. A separate child-injury prosecution involving Hailey N. Harris and Nicholas T. Branson led to judicial bail adjustments earlier this year, with First District Court bail increases ordered in that unrelated case.

Court proceedings in Stern’s case are pending; records requests for the charging documents, the habitual-offender petition, the arrest report and the docket in First District Court can be directed to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office and the First District Court clerk for verification and updates.