BANGOR, Maine — Bail was set Wednesday at $20,000 cash for a local man charged in connection with an alleged assault on his 6-month-old son.
Morgan Gunnell, 24, has been charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence assault, according to District Court Judge Gregory Campbell.
Gunnell told the judge at his first court appearance through the attorney of the day that the child most likely had a seizure and that he did not assault him.
The child remained hospitalized Wednesday, according to the Penobscot County district attorney’s office. Deputy District Attorney Michael Roberts said after Gunnell’s court appearance that he had no information on the boy’s condition. A spokesperson for Eastern Maine Medical Center said he had no information about a patient with the child’s name.
The child is not being named because he may be the victim of a crime. His mother is not being named because she is a possible witness.
The defendant was not asked to enter pleas because he has not been indicted by the Penobscot County grand jury.
Bail conditions include no contact with the child or the child’s mother except at court appearances.
Gunnell was arrested Tuesday and taken to the Penobscot County Jail, according to Bangor police. The investigation that led to the charges began Thursday after Gunnell reportedly called 911 about 9:15 p.m. and said his son was unresponsive.
The family was living in a camper parked behind the Burger King on Union Street in Bangor, according to the affidavit filed Wednesday by Detective Tim Shaw.
A physician at EMMC told detectives Thursday night that a CT scan showed the infant had “multiple subdural hematomas” on both sides of the his brain, the affidavit said. Shaw was told Friday by doctors that the boy’s injuries were “more consistent with whiplash style injuries” than an impact injury that might have been caused by a fall.
The hospital social worker told Shaw that the child’s mother told staff in November when she gave birth that “she had concerns for the baby’s safety because of Mr. Gunnell,” according to the affidavit. The night the boy was taken to the hospital, his mother told police that “Gunnell had a temper and that sometimes she was worried about [the boy being] with him because Mr. Gunnell was ‘rough’ with him.”
Gunnell is next due in court July 8.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000 on the more serious charge of aggravated assault.
