VANCOUVER, Wash. — A father who allegedly tried to circumcise his 8-year-old son in the bathroom after reading selections from the Bible has been charged with first-degree assault of a child.
Edwin Bruce Baxter, 33, was charged Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court. Judge Diane Woolard set bail at $50,000 and scheduled an arraignment for Sept. 17.
If convicted, Baxter faces at least 10 years in prison.
According to a probable-cause affidavit, Baxter told sheriff’s deputies he tried to circumcise his son with a knife Friday after reading Genesis 17 and Exodus 4 — both passages refer to the procedure.
He became concerned and called 911 when the boy appeared to be losing too much blood.
Baxter told deputies he had no medical training.
The boy was taken to Southwest Washington Medical Center, where he received several stitches.
Baxter, of Ridgefield, is married with nine children. He works as a truck driver with Helser Brothers Transfer Co. in Portland, Ore., according to court documents.
The parents have been reported in the past for allegedly failing to enroll their children in school, said Doug Lehrman, Vancouver administrator for the state Department of Children and Family Services.
Baxter was convicted in 1993 for domestic violence, Clark County senior deputy prosecutor Kim Farr said.
