Security cameras at the East Idaho Aquarium in Idaho Falls captured what authorities describe as a sustained pattern of abuse against a 7-year-old girl by her parents on February 8, leading to felony charges against the Idaho couple.
Background
Megan Anne Olpin, 31, and her husband Zachary Royce Olpin, 30, took their daughter to the East Idaho Aquarium on February 8. What should have been a family outing became the subject of a criminal investigation when surveillance footage revealed multiple incidents of physical abuse throughout the facility.
According to court documents obtained by East Idaho News, the footage shows Megan Olpin hitting her daughter in the face with a shoe and dragging her through the aquarium. Zachary Olpin was captured on camera slamming the girl's head into an electrical box inside the facility before dragging her off the property.
Detectives spoke with the child's grandmother, who provided photographs showing the girl with multiple bruises and marks on her body. The young victim also told her grandmother that her mother had hit her in the mouth.
The Charges
Zachary Olpin has been charged with one felony and one misdemeanor count of injury to a child. Megan Olpin faces the same counts plus an additional felony charge of aggravated battery. Both are scheduled to appear in court on March 24.
When initially questioned by investigators, Zachary Olpin claimed the incident captured on video was an accident and that he had no idea the child's head had struck the electrical box. Megan Olpin admitted to hitting her daughter with a shoe and also acknowledged striking the child with a set of keys while they were in their vehicle.
After obtaining the full security video — which investigators had only previously seen in snippets recorded by an officers on a cell phone — police documented that the mother struck the child multiple times with the shoe and knocked her to the ground. The father was seen shoving the girl down by the mouth when she attempted to get up and again as he carried her out of the aquarium.
Once outside the facility, Zachary Olpin was captured on camera slamming the girl's head into a wooden structure before using his shoulder to push her head into a metal box three times.
During interviews with child advocates conducted approximately one week after the incident, the girl stated that her mother had "bonked her head with a shoe" and that her father kept "bonking" her head because he was mad. She also disclosed that her mother had used a key to scratch her arm.
Key Takeaways
- Security cameras at East Idaho Aquarium in Idaho Falls captured the abuse on February 8
- Megan Olpin, 31, allegedly hit daughter with shoe and keys; Zachary Olpin, 30, allegedly slammed child's head into electrical box
- Both parents charged with felony and misdemeanor injury to child; mother faces additional aggravated battery charge
- Child placed with grandmother during ongoing investigation; father later wrote apology letter
- Preliminary hearing scheduled for March 24 in Bonneville County Court
What's Next
Both Megan and Zachary Olpin are scheduled to appear in court on March 24 for their preliminary hearing. The girl remains in the custody of her grandmother while investigators continue to build their case. Prosecutors will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to bind the charges over for trial based on the security footage, photographs of the child's injuries, and statements from the victim.