A 22-year-old Edgecomb man pleaded guilty to a felony at the Lincoln County Courthouse Monday, Oct. 5 after breaking a 20-month-old boy’s elbow last December.
Matthew A. Grasser Jr. pleaded guilty to class C domestic violence assault on a child less than six years old, according to court documents. A second charge of class B aggravated assault was dismissed in exchange for his plea.
Grasser has not been sentenced, although the sides have a tentative agreement in place, according to Assistant District Attorney Katie Hollstrom.
Grasser will be sentenced to five years in prison and three years of probation, although half or more of the five-year sentence will be suspended.
The sides have agreed to a cap of 2 1/2 years for Grasser’s initial prison term, according to Hollstrom. The state will argue for Grasser to serve the full 2 1/2 years, while the defense will argue for less.
If Grasser violates probation during the three years after his release, he could return to prison for the suspended portion of his sentence.
A sentence hearing had not been scheduled as of Wednesday, Oct. 14.
He is free on $1,000 cash bail, according to court documents. His bail conditions prohibit contact with the victim or any child under 16 with the exception of incidental contact through his employment.
He also has to abide by the conditions of a contract with Maine Pretrial Services. The contract requires him to report daily by phone and weekly in person, among other conditions.
According to a press release by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael Murphy, the 20-month-old boy was brought to LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta with a swollen left elbow Dec. 5, 2014.
“The child also had extensive bruising to his face, torso, and arms,” Murphy said in the press release. “After an examination, it was discovered he had a broken arm just below his elbow. This information was relayed to (the Maine Department of Health and Human Services) and eventually the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for investigation.”
On Dec. 8, the boy “was evaluated at the Spurwink Clinic in Portland,” Murphy said. “The injuries were determined to be the result of physical abuse.”
“Investigators found the child had been staying temporarily with his aunt and her boyfriend, (Grasser), in Edgecomb, after being removed from his mother’s care in Portland by DHHS,” Murphy said. “Mr. Grasser admitted to investigators that, while home alone with the child, he struck the child in the face because he was crying and pulled on his arm, causing the broken bones.”
Grasser was arrested Dec. 9. DHHS returned the boy to the care of his mother and maternal grandparents, according to Murphy.
Detective Sgt. Ronald Rollins was the lead investigator.
