BELFAST — A Belfast man was charged with two counts of felony assault April 19, following a Department of Health and Human Services referral to Belfast Police, according to Detective Sergeant Matthew Cook.

Dylan Perry, 26, was charged with felony assault, which is typically a misdemeanor charge, due to the age of the children involved, aged two and three. The children are not related to Perry, though Perry reportedly cared for them while their mother worked, according to Belfast police.

The alleged abuse was reported to DHHS by the father of one of the two children victimized after he reportedly discovered bruising on his child, Cook said.

Cook said Perry is trying to rectify the situation, which Cook said consisted of “excessive discipline leading to light bruising.”

“[Perry] has shown a willingness to do whatever it takes, whether that be skills, classes…,” Cook said.

In the meantime, a safety plan has been put in place to keep the children safe. Perry will get supervised visitation to the three children in the home. He fathered the youngest child, who was just days old at the time of Perry’s arrest.

While corporal punishment is legal in Maine, statutes stipulate that anything that leaves more than a transient discomfort or mark is criminal, according to Cook, with the exact assault statute Perry violated reading:  “The person has attained at least 18 years of age and intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to another person who is less than 6 years of age. Violation of this paragraph is a Class C crime.”

The maximum sentence for someone convicted of a class C felony is five years, while the minimum is nine months.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com