BRATTLEBORO -- A Brattleboro man was held without bail Sept. 16 after he pleaded not guilty to first-degree domestic assault and the endangerment of an infant.
Gary Nadeau Jr., 48, allegedly assaulted a woman on the screened-in porch of a residence on Elm Street.
Police said a 7-month-old child was dropped during the scuffle.
If convicted, Nadeau could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison, up to $25,000 in fines, or both, for first-degree domestic assault.
For the alleged harm to the child, Nadeau is facing up to 10 years in prison, up to $10,000 in fines, or both.
Brattleboro Police responded to the residence Sept. 15 because of a 911 hang-up. Police dispatch attempted to call back the number and determined that it was a domestic situation.
When police arrived, the woman was lying on the floor and Nadeau had the baby in his arms. Because the door was locked, police smashed through the screen.
The infant was transported to the Brattleboro Police Department where officers noticed red marks on the infant’s forehead and a linear bruise on the right temporal area.
Police said the injuries occurred during the altercation between Nadeau and the woman.
Nadeau claimed the alleged victim, who sustained minor injuries, was not supposed to have contact with him or the child.
In a statement to the police, the alleged victim of the domestic abuse stated "he just kept punching and punching."
Harry Hoyt said Nadeau was "beating her up and stuff" and "cuffing her around the laundry room."
The woman claimed Nadeau threatened to kill her and strangled her during the altercation.
Nadeau was on parole for his second conviction of driving while intoxicated Feb. 13, 2008, for which he received a sentence of 18 to 24 months all suspended but three days.
He was charged with two counts of violating his terms of probation July 15, 2008, for which he served 35 days of that suspended sentence.
Nadeau was held on $5,000 for the new charges against him but was held without bail because he did not admit in court that he had violated his terms of probation by displaying violent, threatening behavior and consuming alcohol; he had a blood alcohol level of .86 percent at the time of the incident.
Had he admitted to those charges, Nadeau might have had his probation revoked, serving out his underlying sentence of 18-24 months, as recommended by Kat Thaczyk, Correctional Services Specialist.
"The violations have escalated from cocaine use to physical violence," Thaczyk said.
"I have noted a dramatic decline in (Nadeau’s) overall demeanor since (the alleged victim’s) release from jail," she added. "This is clearly a volatile relationship that they can’t control and now it has negatively impacted (the child’s) safety and welfare as well as their own."
Nadeau is currently being lodged at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.
He is scheduled for a violation of parole merits hearing Oct. 26 and a status conference Dec. 14 in Windham District Court.
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