Attorney General’s Office secures conviction in retrial of Red Lodge man who fractured baby’s skull

HELENA – A Red Lodge man was found guilty by a jury for a 2019 assault that gave a baby multiple severe skull fractures, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today. The child, who is now 5 years old, is partially blind and faces ongoing and significant cognitive difficulties because of the assault.

In a retrial after a 2022 case resulted in a hung jury, Nathan Samuel Polakoff, 26, was convicted Thursday of Assault on a Minor. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of $50,000. Sentencing is set for October 4, 2023.

“Our prosecutors did excellent work securing justice for the innocent child who suffered a horrific assault. This verdict sends a clear message that acts of violence against children will not be tolerated, and those responsible will be held accountable,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “While we cannot undo the pain and suffering inflicted upon the child, we can ensure that justice is served and that the family finds some measure of closure. My office will continue to fight to safeguard our communities.”

Red Lodge Police responded to a 911 call to Polakoff’s residence on April 19, 2019. When officers arrived, they found Polakoff carrying the 9-month-old child that appeared to be lifeless and saying the boy was not breathing. An officer was able to detect shallow breaths and the boy was brought to Billings Beartooth Clinic before being transported directly to a hospital in Salt Lake City.

Polakoff initially told law enforcement that the child fell off a futon two days prior. Doctors, however, identified the injuries as the result of two separate force events. A treating doctor noted that the two severe skull fractures and retinal hemorrhages in both eyes were consistent with a child “violently slammed into something causing an acceleration/deceleration injury with impact.”

Polakoff also instructed the victim’s mother and aunt not to tell law enforcement that he had been alone with child.

Assistant Attorneys General Stephanie Robles and Selene Koepke prosecuted the case with the assistance of Carbon County Attorney Alex Nixon.