Documents detail alleged brutal beating of 7-year-old girl; Pocatello parents face felony charges
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IDAHO FALLS — Two Pocatello parents are facing serious allegations of child abuse after security camera footage shows them striking a 7-year-old girl in the face with a shoe and slamming her head against an electric box.
Zachary Royce Olpin, 30, is facing one felony count and one misdemeanor count of injury to a child. Megan Anne Olpin, 31, was charged with a felony aggravated battery, felony injury to a child and misdemeanor injury of a child.
According to court documents, a detective with the Idaho Falls Police Department was investigating a report of child abuse that had occurred at the East Idaho Aquarium in Idaho Falls on Feb. 8.
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The security camera footage, which was recorded on a cell phone by an officer, showed Megan striking the girl in the face with a shoe while dragging her around through the aquarium.
The documents state Zachary is seen on video hitting the head of the 7-year-old girl against a wall and an electrical box before taking her off the property.
The detective spoke with the grandmother of the child in Pocatello, who showed photographs of the child with multiple bruises and marks on her. The girl had told her grandmother that Megan had hit her in the mouth.
The parents were interviewed at their Pocatello home about the allegations.
Zachary was interviewed first and told the detective that what had occurred was an accident, and he did not know that the child had hit her head. Megan had admitted to hitting the child with the shoe and also a set of keys once in the car.
A safety plan was put into place for the child to stay with the grandmother, and a medical evaluation was performed. The result of the evaluation found the child had no broken bones nor concussion.
The next day, the detective obtained the security camera footage, which showed more of the brutal beating of the 7-year-old girl.
The video showed that Megan had struck the girl multiple times with the shoe and had knocked her down to the ground. After this, Zachary is shown pushing the girl back down by her mouth before being carried outside the aquarium.
There, Zachary is seen carrying the girl and striking her head against a wooden structure and using his shoulder to force the girl’s head into a metal box three times.
On Feb. 12, Zachary and Megan were interviewed again, during which the 30-year-old man said he was out of line and had written an apology letter. Megan had also written an apology letter, expressing regret for her actions.
Six days later, the 7-year-old girl was interviewed at the Upper Valley Child Advocacy Center, where she told the interviewer that Megan had “bonked” her head with a shoe. And Zachary kept “bonking” her head because he was mad at her.
The girl also told the interviewer that Megan used a key to scratch her arm.
Zachary and Megan are scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. on March 24 before Magistrate Judge Wiley Dennert.
Though both individuals have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.