IDAHO FALLS, ID - A mom and a dad have been accused of abusing their seven-year-old daughter during a trip to the aquarium, with the little girl telling police they kept "bonking" her over and over on the head because they were mad at her.
The parents were allegedly caught on video beating the young child, including an incident in which her father slammed the girl's head into a metal electrical box, Law & Crime reported. The couple, 30-year-old Zachary Olpin and 31-year-old Megan Olpin, have both been charged with multiple crimes related to the alleged abuse.
Zachary, the father, is facing one felony count and one misdemeanor count of injury to a child. Megan, the mother, is charged with felony aggravated battery, felony injury to a child, and misdemeanor injury to a child.
Court documents reviewed by East Idaho News describe how the little girl spoke to investigators about the alleged beatings after her parents were apparently caught on surveillance video harming her at the East Idaho Aquarium on February 8.
The parents reportedly tried to downplay what happened, with Zachary Olpin saying the electrical box incident was an accident, and Megan Olpin allegedly admitting to hitting the child once with a shoe and just once with a set of keys. Police, however, said the couple was caught on video striking their daughter multiple times and dragging her around the aquarium.
The mother was caught on camera waylaying the girl with a shoe and knocking her to the ground, with Zachary Olpin pushing the child down repeatedly as she tried getting up off the ground. At one point, Zachary Olpin can be seen on the surveillance tape carrying the girl and slamming her head against a wooden structure.
That is when he allegedly used his shoulder to force the child's head into the electrical box at least three times before leaving the aquarium with her, court documents state.
The parents eventually admitted that their behavior was out of line and wrote apology letters expressing their regret. The Idaho Falls Police Department arrested the couple and booked them in the Bonneville County Jail. They're both due in court on March 24 for their preliminary hearings.
The parents were allegedly caught on video beating the young child, including an incident in which her father slammed the girl's head into a metal electrical box, Law & Crime reported. The couple, 30-year-old Zachary Olpin and 31-year-old Megan Olpin, have both been charged with multiple crimes related to the alleged abuse.
Zachary, the father, is facing one felony count and one misdemeanor count of injury to a child. Megan, the mother, is charged with felony aggravated battery, felony injury to a child, and misdemeanor injury to a child.
Court documents reviewed by East Idaho News describe how the little girl spoke to investigators about the alleged beatings after her parents were apparently caught on surveillance video harming her at the East Idaho Aquarium on February 8.
The parents reportedly tried to downplay what happened, with Zachary Olpin saying the electrical box incident was an accident, and Megan Olpin allegedly admitting to hitting the child once with a shoe and just once with a set of keys. Police, however, said the couple was caught on video striking their daughter multiple times and dragging her around the aquarium.
The mother was caught on camera waylaying the girl with a shoe and knocking her to the ground, with Zachary Olpin pushing the child down repeatedly as she tried getting up off the ground. At one point, Zachary Olpin can be seen on the surveillance tape carrying the girl and slamming her head against a wooden structure.
That is when he allegedly used his shoulder to force the child's head into the electrical box at least three times before leaving the aquarium with her, court documents state.
The parents eventually admitted that their behavior was out of line and wrote apology letters expressing their regret. The Idaho Falls Police Department arrested the couple and booked them in the Bonneville County Jail. They're both due in court on March 24 for their preliminary hearings.
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Comments
2026-03-21T10:33-0400 | Comment by: Dave
Sad. They shouldn’t have any child if they can’t treat her like Gods gift.