A Winthrop man has been indicted on two counts of aggravated assault in which he allegedly shook his 4-month-old baby, leaving him with brain hemorrhaging and other injuries officials said are likely to leave the child blind or with limited eyesight and severe brain damage.
Camren L. Breton
Camren L. Breton, 22, of Winthrop initially blamed the injuries — for which he and the child’s mother had taken the baby to the hospital — on their other, 2-year-old child. But Breton later admitted to police, after a doctor said the injuries were too severe to have been caused by a 2-year-old, that he shook the baby, according to an affidavit filed by Winthrop police Detective Paul Ferland.
“Camren then approached me and stated, ‘I did it,'” Ferland wrote in the affidavit, describing an interview on July 23, two days after the alleged assault. “I asked him what he did, and he responded I shook the baby.”
Breton told Ferland he and the child’s mother were in bed around 1:30 a.m. July 21 when he got up with the baby, who was just shy of 4 months old at the time, when he started crying. He allegedly said he was holding the baby in his arms and cradling the baby’s head with his left hand when he turned the baby over and grabbed the infant by his face and neck and started shaking him. When asked why he did that, Ferland wrote, Breton “stated that he just lost it.”
About a week after the alleged assault, a doctor that examined the boy said if he survived it was most likely the child would be blind and paraplegic for the rest of his life. The doctor, who previously had indicated the injuries were so severe they could not have been caused by the couple’s 2-year-old child, said the child had severe bleeding in his eyes and hemorrhaging in the brain that was consistent with shaken-baby syndrome. He also stated there were apparent fractures in both of the child’s tibias, which are bones in the leg, and what appeared to be dark brown blood in the brain, which he said was most likely from an older injury.
District Attorney Maegan Maloney confirmed on Friday that the child is currently surviving, but has lost or limited eyesight and severe brain damage.
Police were notified after Breton and the child’s mother had taken the child to Maine Medical Center in Portland where a state Department of Health and Human Services caseworker reported the child had a head injury; older burns on his neck and shoulder; bruising to his neck, nose and face; and a possible break in his lower leg.
Breton told police the burns on the child’s back happened when their older child spilled hot milk on the infant, apparently while trying to feed him while Breton was out of the room. The affidavit states DHHS officials, at the time of the incident, planned to file paperwork to take both the children on a temporary basis until the court could hear the case.
Breton was indicted by a Kennebec County Grand Jury, which met last week, on two counts of aggravated assault, one Class A, the other Class B. The Class A count alleges he caused bodily injury to the child “…that caused serious, permanent disfigurement or loss or substantial impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.”
The Class A aggravated assault charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Breton was released on $1,000 cash bail.
An indictment is not a determination of guilt but indicates there is enough evidence for the case to move forward and proceed to trial.
Also indicted by the grand jury were:
• Kalar Abdullahi Abdi, 25, of Lewiston, aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs (cocaine base), aggravated unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs (cocaine base), and criminal forfeiture of $525, Sept. 15, in Augusta.
• Terry G. Bachelder, 64, of Rome, aggravated criminal trespass and assault, June 7, in Rome.
• Isaac J. Baskins, 21, of Waterville, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs (cocaine base), violation of condition of release, and criminal forfeiture of $242, Sept. 12, in Waterville.
• Cory R. Barter, 37, of Gardiner, two counts of theft by unauthorized taking, and one count of criminal mischief, between Nov. 20 and Dec. 12, 2020, in West Gardiner.
• Cassidy A. Bridges, 33, of Sidney, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (fentanyl powder), unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (cocaine base), and violation of condition of release, Sept. 7, in Augusta.
• Jason Campbell, 44, of Webster, Florida, two counts of aggravated trafficking in schedule W drugs (fentanyl powder) and one count each of aggravated trafficking in schedule W drugs (methamphetamine) and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and criminal forfeiture of $1,310 and one firearm, Aug. 12, in Winslow.
• Garrett J. Camren, 41, of Augusta, violation of condition of release, Sept. 10, in Augusta; and domestic violence assault, Sept. 1, in Augusta.
• Charles R. Carignan, 43, of Winslow, two counts of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, one containing fentanyl, the other containing methamphetamine, April 4, in Waterville.
• Paul L. Dionne Jr., 25, of Pittsfield, criminal operating under the influence, July 24, in Waterville.
• Bridget J. Drayton, 38, of Waterville, two counts of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs (fentanyl powder) and refusing to submit to arrest and criminal forfeiture of $342, March 22, in Waterville.
• Katie Emmons, 26, of Augusta, unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (cocaine base), Nov. 30, 2020, in Augusta; and unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (cocaine), Dec. 8, 2020, in Augusta.
• Tara L. Fogg, 42, of Levant, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs (fentanyl), and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (fentanyl), July 28, in Winslow.
• Monica Foss, 24, of Augusta, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (fentanyl powder), criminal operating under the influence, criminal mischief, failure to stop for an officer, and driving to endanger, Aug. 30, in Waterville.
• Frank James Fulcher, 43, of Winslow, operating after revocation, May 18, in Winslow.
• Tina M. Gerdon, 44, of Benton, terrorizing with a dangerous weapon and terrorizing, Sept. 6, in Benton.
• Matthew M. Goldsmith, 38, of Skowhegan, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, fentanyl powder and unlawful furnishing scheduled drugs, methamphetamine, April 4, in Waterville.
• Nickolas Don Grivois, 33, of Augusta, aggravated forgery, operating after revocation, displaying fictitious inspection sticker, failure to give correct name, Dec. 11, 2019, in Augusta; and refusing to submit to arrest and violation of condition of release, Aug. 15, in Chelsea.
• Raymond Anthony Hamilton, 32, of Waterville, theft by unauthorized taking, July 10, 2020, in Waterville.
• Kawa Hassan, 48, of Waterville, aggravated assault and domestic violence assault, Aug. 31, in Waterville.
• Ricky J. Hendsbee, 40, of Bangor, assault on an officer, March 1, in Augusta.
• Erving Michael Johnson, 32, of Lewiston, assault, Aug. 9, 2020, in Monmouth.
• Angela L. Kokernak-Haskell, 40, of Vassalboro, criminal operating under the influence.
• Daniel J. Krupski, 29, of Augusta, operating after revocation and operating an unregistered vehicle, May 14, 2020, in Randolph.
• Raymond W. Lilly, 37, of Dresden, unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs (fentanyl powder), two counts of violation of condition of release, operating after suspension and criminal forfeiture of $458, July 31, in Augusta.
• Alanna R. Love, 22, of Alton, aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs (cocaine), and criminal operating under the influence, Sept. 21, in Sidney.
• Alan J. Marden, 25, of Skowhegan, aggravated unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs (methamphetamine), unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs (methamphetamine), unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (suboxone), operating after suspension, operating with a suspended registration, failure to give correct name, and criminal forfeiture of a shotgun, June 22, in Winslow.
• Michael Allen McGregor, 27, of Skowhegan, aggravated unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs (methamphetamine), unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs (methamphetamine), unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (suboxone), and violation of condition of release, June 22, in Winslow.
• Shane E. Murphy, 46, of Fairfield, theft by unauthorized taking and unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs (fentanyl powder), July 13, in Clinton.
• Michael Vincent Paskell, 30, of North Anson, aggravated assault, assault and violation of condition of release, March 5, in Waterville.
• Christine Petush, 34, of Webster, Florida, aggravated trafficking in schedule W drugs (fentanyl powder), unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (methamphetamine), and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and criminal forfeiture of $1,310 and one firearm, Aug. 12, in Winslow.
• Angela G. Philbrook, 36, of Manchester, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (methamphetamine), unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (gabapentin), unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (clonazepam), and violation of condition of release, Aug. 27, in Waterville.
• John C. Rastrom III, 28, of Waterville, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, and threatening display of a weapon, Aug. 31, in Waterville.
• Brandi Sanborn, 29, of Buxton, aggravated forgery, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (methamphetamine), unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (fentanyl powder), theft by unauthorized taking, illegal possession of hypodermic apparatuses, and violation of condition of release, Aug. 28, in Waterville.
• Paul J. Shea, 32, of Norwood, Massachusetts, violation of condition of release, between Aug. 17 and 24, in Augusta.
• Gerald Scott Stackpole, 44, of Augusta, violation of condition of release, between July 6 and Sept. 26, in Augusta.
• Andrew James St. Amand, 44, of Augusta, domestic violence assault, June 12, in Augusta.
• Margaret A. Thomas, 35, of Augusta, unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs (cocaine), July 30, in Augusta.
• Charles C. Wilbur Jr., 34, of Waterville, aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs (fentanyl powder), unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs (methamphetamine), refusing to submit to arrest, violation of condition of release and criminal forfeiture of $179, Sept. 19, in Waterville.
• Sarah K. Williams, 28, of Winthrop, unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs (fentanyl powder) and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (cocaine base), Aug. 9, in Waterville.
• Peter Glenn Wing, 59, of Augusta, arson, Sept. 12, in Augusta.
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