On Monday, May 18, 2026, the Clare County Sheriff received a report of a suspected child abuse incident that occurred at 8383 Fir Trail in Redding Township. The reporting party provided Deputies with disturbing video footage of the incident.
Deputies reviewed the video and observed a male subject identified as 25-year-old Justin Thomas Henke, who resides at the Fir Trail address, screaming at a young child approximately two years old. While yelling at the child, Henke was observed spanking the child more than a dozen times as the child screamed, cried, and repeatedly told Henke “no.” Henke was then observed slamming the child into a wall.
Following the review of the video, Deputies made contact with Henke, who denied hurting the child and claimed he was only disciplining him. During the investigation, Deputies also discovered that the child’s mother, 22-year-old Kristi Marie Thomas, was present during the incident and did nothing to stop Henke.
Both Justin Henke and Kristi Thomas were arrested and charged with one count of fourth-degree child abuse. Henke was also arrested on a probation violation stemming from the abuse incident.
Both subjects were arraigned in the 80th District Court of Clare County. Henke’s bond was set at $50,000/10% for the child abuse charge. Thomas’ bond was set at 5,000/10%.
