Palo man arrested after boy suffers serious burns also facing previous assault charge

A Palo man accused of pushing an 8-year-old boy into a fire pit this weekend is also facing a trial on a charge that he assaulted his girlfriend in June.

According to a criminal complaint released Tuesday, the boy ran Saturday from the home that Christopher Wayne Maas, 42, was staying in on First Street in Palo to a nearby park. The boy told adults there that Maas, his mother’s boyfriend, had shoved him into a firepit, causing severe blistering to his shoulder and face.

The Linn County Sheriff’s Office said it was looking for Mass, and he turned himself in Sunday at to Cedar Rapids police, where deputies took custody.

The Sheriff’s Office said the boy was taken to UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment.

Maas was charged with child endangerment causing serious injury. He was released from the Linn County Jail on Tuesday after posting a $5,300 surety bond and a promise to appear in court Sept. 11.

Maas also is facing a previous charge in Linn County court of assault causing bodily injury in relation to a June incident. He is accused of assaulting his girlfriend by dragging her off a bed, causing her to hit the back of her head on a bench, and slamming a car door in her face after he tried to drag her out of the vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

This assault also happened on First Street in Palo, records show, though Maas was living in Vinton when it happened. A no-contact order was filed on behalf of the girlfriend, but was later lifted at her request.

Maas pleaded not guilty to the charge in August, and a jury trial is set for Nov. 27.

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