CANTON, Minn. — Canton Mayor Joshua Nordsving has stepped down as mayor as he faces a misdemeanor charge of child abuse in southeastern Minnesota’s Fillmore County. Canton City Council Member Kristy Ziegler is now listed on the city’s website as mayor. The move leaves a vacant seat on the City Council. Inquiries from the Post Bulletin to Ziegler and the Canton city clerk about whether Ziegler will serve the entire term and how the council vacancy will be filled were not returned as of Thursday afternoon. Nordsving faces a gross misdemeanor charge of malicious punishment of a child and two misdemeanor domestic assault charges. The criminal complaint filed against Nordsving cites a witness who said she noticed bruising on the child’s face when she picked up the child in Chatfield on Oct. 26. The woman provided an investigating Fillmore County sheriff’s deputy with pictures of the child’s face taken Oct. 27 showing distinct bruising on the child’s right cheek consistent with a handprint. Nordsving told a deputy he struck the child in the face and admitted that he had struck the child too hard. Nordsving demonstrated a backswing motion with his right hand describing how he struck the child. Nordsving told the deputy he had been having ongoing behavior issues with the child over the weekend. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 24 in Fillmore County District Court. Nordsving ran unopposed when was reelected as mayor of Canton in the November 2024 general election. His term expires in 2026. Related Articles Crime & Public Safety | With chronic wasting disease ‘endemic,’ DNR will stop culling deer in southeastern Minnesota Crime & Public Safety | Smoking suspected in fire that fatally engulfed woman on mobility scooter in Ely Crime & Public Safety | Plea hearing in theft of ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers has been postponed Crime & Public Safety | North St. Paul native Carolyn Wiger is competing on the new season of ‘The Traitors’ Crime & Public Safety | Minnesota attorney general charges Twin Cities man in $7.3 million Medicaid fraud case