Edgecomb man who struck child pleads guilty
An Edgecomb man who reportedly struck a toddler in 2014 has pleaded guilty to one count of felony assault.
Matthew Grasser Jr., 22, of Edgecomb pleaded guilty to one count of Class C domestic violence assault against a child on Monday, Oct. 5, in Lincoln County Superior Court in Wiscasset.
His sentencing date will be at the end of the month.
Grasser was originally charged with a pair of felonies; a Class B aggravated assault charge was dismissed as part of the plea deal.
It was discovered that Grasser broke the arm of a 20-month-old child in 2014 after the boy, whose name has been redacted from court documents, was sent to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta in December 2014 to have his elbow examined.
According to a report following the incident, the child's arm was swollen and there were bruises on his face, arms and back. Further testing revealed a broken arm below the elbow.
Following the inspection of the injuries, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services was contacted and the child was reevaluated at the Spurwink Clinic in Portland. The Spurwink Clinic found that the injuries more likely than not came from abuse.
Grasser allegedly told Lincoln County Sheriff’s detectives that he struck the child because he was crying while the two were home alone.
Before the abuse occurred, the child had been removed from his mother's custody and placed with his aunt and Grasser in Edgecomb, as per the DHHS' intervention. The child was eventually turned over to his grandparents.
The Lincoln County Grand Jury indicted Grasser in 2015 for the two felony charges.
Grasser could face up to the maximum for Class C convictions which includes up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
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