A New Bedford man pleaded guilty to charges he abused a 2-month-old child in 2017 and was sentenced to three years in state prison, the DA’s office said.
Robert Trommenschlager, 31, pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment of a child, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a child, intimidation of a witness and assault and battery, according to Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III.
Judge Sharon E. Donatelle sentenced him to three years in state prison and an additional three years of supervised probation, he said.
Trommenschlager was indicted in November 2018 by a Bristol County Grand Jury on the same charges, Miliote said.
In May 2017, the state Department of Children and Families was called regarding possible child neglect involving Trommenschlager and a 2-month-old child, Miliote said. DCF investigators went to his home and knocked on the door several times, but received no response.
When the mother of the child came home and let DCF officials inside, they noticed smoke filling the apartment, he said. DCF investigators reported the smoke was not from cigarettes or marijuana.
Investigators entered the bedroom and found the 2-month-old sitting alone in a swinging chair, and Trommenschlager then showed up at the apartment while DCF was inside, he said.
A day care provider noticed what appeared to be burn marks on the baby and bruising, he said. The child was taken to an area hospital where doctors found a laceration in the back of the baby’s throat, consistent with a blunt object being forced into the mouth.
On a subsequent jail call that Trommenschlager made to the mother of the child, he is heard trying to convince her to take the blame because his criminal record is “bad” and will likely face a stiffer prison sentence if convicted, Miliote said.
“These types of cases can be difficult to prosecute because of proof issues. However I am very happy to report that the child, now 2 years old, has been placed with the maternal aunt and is doing very well,” he said.
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