BELLINGHAM - A Bellingham man must serve six months in jail for punching his son in the head until he needed to go to the emergency room.
Harold Edward Ostrander, 55, got into an argument with his son that escalated into a fight on the evening of Dec. 30, 2012, at a house in the 1100 block of 37th Street. Police arrived to find Ostrander's son, 28, sitting in a chair, doubled over in pain, bleeding from his lips, with one side of his face swelling up, according to charging documents filed in Whatcom County Superior Court.
He was rushed to St. Joseph hospital for a CT scan.
Police asked Ostrander how many times he'd hit his son in the head. He replied with something to the effect of, "I hope it was enough," according to the charges. The officer told him his son was headed to the emergency room for his injuries and a possible concussion.
"Good," Ostrander said.
He pleaded guilty last week to fourth-degree domestic violence assault, his 23rd conviction for a gross misdemeanor. He also has eight misdemeanor and four felony convictions.
Ostrander can serve the last month of his sentence in substance abuse treatment. Another six months of jail time was suspended, and he's on bench probation for two years.
He now is under order to not contact his son. According to court records, he has to cover his son's medical bill.
Many of Ostrander's past crimes are for drunk driving, theft and damaging property.
Reach Caleb Hutton at 360-715-2276 or caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com. Read his dispatcher blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/dispatcher or follow him on Twitter at @bhamcrime.
