ROCKLAND, Maine — A Rockland man who left his sick 4-year-old daughter home alone while he went to a bar will serve nine months in jail.
Jeremy Dennison, 30, pleaded guilty Thursday in Knox County Unified Court to endangering the welfare of a child and refusing to submit to arrest. He also admitted to violating probation from a 2015 arson conviction.
Rockland police had reported last month that Dennison had left the 4-year-old home alone at a Broad Street residence while he went out to a bar. Officers went to the home to check on the child after being alerted by a caller and found the girl sleeping on a couch with the television on. No one else was at the home, police said.
Officers were met at the residence by the child’s mother. She said she made arrangements with Dennison for him to care for their child while she was out with a friend, police had said. The mother immediately came home after learning Dennison had left the child alone.
When officers found and attempted to arrest Dennison, he refused to submit to arrest, pulling and twisting in an effort to break free. Dennison was restrained by officers and taken into custody.
He admitted that the child had been throwing up all day but said that she had fallen asleep and he had only left her alone for a short time.