SKOWHEGAN — A New Hampshire man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after a police investigation concluded he was responsible for injuring a 2-year-old girl Thursday night in Skowhegan. Cody Alexander Swanson, 25, of Concord, later fled the scene, police said.
Skowhegan Detective Michael Bachelder and patrol officers took Swanson into custody at 5:45 p.m. Friday at Swanson’s friend’s residence on Main Street. He had sought refuge there after the incident, which occurred at an Indian Ridge apartment, according to police. Swanson, who also has been listed in criminal records as having a Skowhegan address, is being held at the Somerset County jail. He has a history of assault dating back to at least August 2016.
Early Saturday afternoon, Skowhegan police Chief David Bucknam reported that the child was “breathing on (her) own and is responsive.”
Bucknam said that when first responders arrived at the scene on Thursday, they found the toddler severely bruised. Her mother, Crystal Bowman, 25, of Massachusetts, had called authorities and reported that the girl had fallen down a flight of stairs.
“There was large bruising on the forehead of the 2-year-old, and the child had multiple injuries all over (her) body from previous incidents,” Bucknam said. She was taken to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and was in stable condition by Friday night, according to Bucknam. Bowman was uninjured. Bachelder, along with Maine State Police Detectives Christopher Crawford, Ryan Brockway and Detective Sgt. Jason Richards investigated the case.
“From what we understand, as far as it goes right now, some child abuse is taking place,” Bucknam said. “Cody is our suspect and he was arrested.”
Swanson has been incarcerated for convictions on class D domestic violence assault charges in Maine twice since 2016. He was also convicted of disorderly conduct and violating conditions of release in 2016. Before moving to Maine, Swanson was arrested four times in New Hampshire during June and July 2014 on various charges that did not include assault. In those cases, he was charged with trespassing, consuming alcohol on public property, breaching bail conditions and giving a false report to an officer. Law officers reported they found an unused hypodermic needle in his pocket, indicative of heroin use.
Aggravated assault is a class B felony in Maine, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000.
Meg Robbins — 861-9239
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