BELFAST — A Northport man has been indicted on charges that he assaulted an infant, aged 11 weeks at the time she was taken to Waldo County General Hospital.

Neil Lagasse, 19, came to the attention of authorities Dec. 23, after taking his infant to the emergency room, where hospital staff became suspicious of the child’s injuries.

The child was transported via Lifeflight of Maine to Portland for further treatment of their injuries.

Law enforcement officials from the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office and Maine State Police both responded to the scene for further investigation.

According to court documents, Lagasse originally took the infant to the emergency room because he believed the baby to be choking. A physician's assistant who treated the child told responding officers that the child’s airway had closed but that they were able to reopen it and get the baby breathing again.

While awaiting Lifeflight, doctors took X-rays of the child to ensure the airway was clear. It was during those scans that doctors discovered the child had three broken ribs. Court documents noted that the breaks were labelled as “subacute,” indicating the breaks had taken place several days prior to the E.R. visit.

When interviewed by law enforcement, Lagasse reportedly admitted that he had stuck his finger deep into the child’s throat in an effort to stop the baby from crying. According to the report, Lagasse said that the child had extreme difficulty breathing after he removed his finger, prompting him to seek medical attention.

Additionally, Legasse reportedly admitted that he had previously grabbed the child “aggressively” under the arms and pulled the baby roughly from a swing, which he believed to be when the baby suffered broken ribs.

Lagasse told law enforcement he had done this due to frustration that the infant would not stop crying, according to court documents.

Lagasse was released on $1,000 secured cash bail Dec. 28, and is prohibited from contacting the child, or any other children under the age of six.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com