ROCKLAND — A Coast Guard member was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail Thursday after being accused of causing serious injuries to his infant daughter by shaking her.
Judge Paul Mathews set bail for Christopher Terrero, 29, of Gurdy Street in Rockland during a hearing in the Knox County court. Terrero was arrested Tuesday and charged with Class B domestic violence aggravated assault, and Class C domestic violence assault on a child younger than 6 years old.
The incident is alleged to have occurred April 22 at the family’s residence.
According to an affidavit filed by Rockland Police Detective Sgt. Joel Neal in court, police were contacted on the evening of April 22 when the 3-month-old girl was brought to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport.
The infant was diagnosed with a significant brain bleed.
Terrero told Neal that he had been watching the children at the house when he sneezed and woke up the 3-month-old child. Terrero said the baby would not stop crying and he said he was trying to comfort her and shook her, according to the affidavit. He claimed he had not shaken her hard but the officer said that medical tests showed that the child had to have been shaken hard to have suffered the significant brain bleed.
The child was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
A doctor said it is highly probable that the child will suffer long-lasting effects from the injuries, according to the affidavit. The child has had seizures and is on medication to control those seizures. The doctor said that shaking baby syndrome is one of the leading causes of death for infants, the police report stated.
Terrero was still being held at the Knox County Jail in Rockland late Thursday afternoon.
His next court date is scheduled for June 25. He did not enter a plea at his initial court appearance. Pleas are not solicited prior to a grand jury hearing evidence in the case to determine if there is adequate evidence to issue an indictment.
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