Sheboygan man charged with putting shock collar on child

A Sheboygan man is accused of causing bodily harm to his 7-year-old daughter.

Zachary A. Kacmar, 28, has been charged with felony physical abuse of a child-intentionally causing bodily harm. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

Sheboygan police responded on Sept. 10 to a call —made by Kacmar's wife — at 1120 High Ave., Kacmar's home.

Kacmar's wife told police that her husband had put a dog's shock collar around their daughter's neck and shocked her on Aug. 30. The mother was not present when the incident took place but learned of it when their daughter came running upstairs crying and told her about it.

Kacmar's wife saw a mark on her daughter's neck that looked as though it could have been made by a shock collar. She took a photo of the mark with her phone, which Kacmar tried to erase, but couldn't because her phone was protected by a password.

Kacmar's wife said she had waited to report the incident because she was afraid and didn't want to get Kacmar in trouble, but after speaking with her pastor, she decided to report it.

During a police interview, Kacmar initially denied putting the collar on his daughter, saying she put it on herself and pushed the button to activate the shock because she wanted to know what it felt like when the dog got shocked.

Kacmar later admitted he was responsible and said he was "so upset and so surprised that it actually shocked her that he took it off her right away."