AUGUSTA — A Winthrop man who shook his 4-month-old baby so hard the infant nearly died was sentenced to six years in prison Thursday.

Camren L. Breton

Camren L. Breton, 25, assaulted his baby July 21, 2021, shaking him when he was crying and causing damage the child’s mother said will negatively impact him for the rest of his life.

Breton initially blamed the injuries on the couple’s 2-year-old child, but confessed to Winthrop police, two days later, that he shook the baby, after doctors insisted that the injuries could not have been caused by the older sibling.

He was sentenced, in a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to a Class A charge of aggravated assault, and a charge of domestic violence aggravated assault was dismissed, to 15 years in prison, with all but six of those years suspended.

The boy’s mother  testified in court that the boy, now 3, nearly died after the assault. She said he is legally blind because he was assaulted so badly his retinas became torn and remain scarred, suffered head trauma that damaged part of his brain, is only capable of saying two or three words with intention, is unable to walk, stand or sit up unassisted — all things, she said, a 3 year old developing normally would be able to do. He also has intractable seizures that cause him to scream and cry for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, for which there is no known treatment so he’s likely to have them for the rest of his life.

She said the boy’s older sister doesn’t understand why her brother isn’t growing like other children, and she will likely not receive as much attention as she’d hope due to her brother’s complex needs.

The boy’s mother said Breton should serve the full 15 years of his sentence in prison. She said he’s never apologized for what he did, and he also used to physically abuse her during their relationship.

The first time she saw any emotions from Breton in response to what happened was the day he confessed, when he cried and said he didn’t want to go to jail, she said. At the time they had been told their child may die from his injuries.

“Even then, his tears were for himself, and the thought of going to jail,” the woman said of Breton.

Breton stood briefly to apologize in court.

“Your honor I’m remorseful for what I did,” Breton said. “It’s something I pray about all the time. I struggle with it. It’s hard to wrap my mind around it.”

His attorney, Leonard Sharon, said Breton has taken responsibility for his actions, has already attended some counseling, and several members of his church, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Vassalboro, were in court Thursday to support him.

Wayne Denny, pastor of the church, said Breton showed up at their church in mid-July and was open and honest about what took place with his son. He said he was baptized a couple of weeks ago and has been committed and involved in church activities.

“We knew he came to us as a broken man, and the church is a place we want to help fix people that are broken,” Denny said. “We feel he’s very remorseful for what he’s done. He’s repentant, and wants to be accountable for what he’s done.”

Breton, according to court documents, confessed to then detective, and now Winthrop Police Chief Paul Ferland, that he and the child’s mother were in bed around 1:30 a.m. July 21, 2021, when he got up with the baby after he started crying. He said he was cradling the baby’s head with his left hand and turned the baby over and grabbed him by his face and neck and started shaking him. When asked why he did that, Ferland wrote in an affidavit, Breton stated that he “just lost it.”

Michael Madigan, an assistant district attorney, said there is no way to balance the lifetime impact Breton’s action had on his son with his prison sentence, to make things even. He acknowledged the sentence is “imperfect” but said the negotiated plea agreement is in line with the state’s sentencing guidelines.

Breton’s sentence means he’ll spend six years in prison if he complies with the terms of his probation, but could face the full 15-year sentence if he does not. Probation conditions include that Breton have no contact with the victim or his mother, undergo counseling, and not have contact with children under 10.

Breton, through Sharon, sought a stay of his sentence, so he could continue working through Christmas before starting his prison term.

After learning that Breton has been ordered to pay child support, but has not yet done so, Judge Erika Bristol denied that request and ordered his prison term to start immediately.