Toddler suffers burns from hot shower, while babysitter allegedly smokes pot
By Kimberly Houghton / Hampshire Union Leader / Sep 18, 2020
https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/toddler-suffers-burns-from-hot-shower-while-babysitter-allegedly-smokes-pot/article_df11d216-8941-56d6-b486-622d66029e29.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR22odItkLZVnpT9AYZN25cx1NF1cMrY-m94cvE5VIfBNFqLlEuOJf4602M
https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/toddler-suffers-burns-from-hot-shower-while-babysitter-allegedly-smokes-pot/article_df11d216-8941-56d6-b486-622d66029e29.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR22odItkLZVnpT9AYZN25cx1NF1cMrY-m94cvE5VIfBNFqLlEuOJf4602M
An 18-month-old boy suffered burns on the left side of his body after his babysitter allegedly pushed him back into the shower several times while the child cried and tried to escape the hot water.
Caleb Marquis, 28, of 15 Beech St., Apt. A, Nashua, told police he was smoking marijuana at the time of the incident on Tuesday at his residence, and does not remember how long the child was in the shower.
Marquis, who is the boyfriend of the child’s mother, told police that he placed the boy into the shower while the child cried, flushed the toilet and caused the water to increase in temperature and never touched the water to check its temperature, according to court documents.
“(Marquis) stated that (the boy) tried to get out of the tub several times and that he used his hand to push him back into the tub until (the boy) eventually stopped crying and sat down in the water,” Detective Thomas Durden of the Nashua Police Department wrote in court records.
Marquis allegedly then left the child alone in the shower sitting cross-legged on the base of the tub, according to court documents.
“Caleb stated that he was not paying attention to (the boy) and it was not until he returned to the bathroom that he realized (the boy) was unconscious,” wrote Durden.
Marquis told authorities that the bathroom was filled with smoke from the marijuana and steam from the shower, according to a prosecutor synopsis on file at Hillsborough County Superior Court South in Nashua.
Hillsborough County Attorney Brian Greklek-McKeon said the boy was unconscious when Marquis lifted him out of the shower and placed him in front of an air-conditioning unit before going to get help.
Although the child was initially evaluated at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua, he was later transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with burns on his left and right cheek, forehead and the left side of his body, according to Greklek-McKeon, who said tetrahydrocannabinol, the main ingredient in cannabis, was also discovered in the child’s system.
The boy is now in stable condition, he said.
The shower water, according to the child’s parents, can become extremely hot at times, they told the court on Thursday during an arraignment.
“The water in the shower gets hot randomly,” said Isaia Ashland, the boy’s mother and Marquis’ girlfriend. Ashland said she should have addressed the problem with the landlord.
“That is on me,” she said.
Gregory Pelletier, the boy’s father, agreed that the water temperature can be a problem, and has previously caused burns on his own arms.
“I know (Marquis) has children of his own. I know for a fact he would never put a child in harm’s way, ever. It was an honest mistake,” said Pelletier. “ … I apologize now in advance, but some of the story has definitely been twisted around.”
Marquis is facing a felony charge of second-degree assault and misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless conduct. If convicted of the most serious offense, he could face up to seven years in prison.
“This is absolutely egregious behavior to do to an 18-month-old child,” said Greklek-McKeon.
Public defender Sophia Breene said Marquis has no history of violence, adding he has children of his own that are 6 and 9.
“It was not anything done purposely or recklessly on his part,” Breene said of the incident.
Marquis pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail until an evidentiary hearing on Sept. 25. He has been ordered to have no contact with the victim.
Caleb Marquis, 28, of 15 Beech St., Apt. A, Nashua, told police he was smoking marijuana at the time of the incident on Tuesday at his residence, and does not remember how long the child was in the shower.
Marquis, who is the boyfriend of the child’s mother, told police that he placed the boy into the shower while the child cried, flushed the toilet and caused the water to increase in temperature and never touched the water to check its temperature, according to court documents.
“(Marquis) stated that (the boy) tried to get out of the tub several times and that he used his hand to push him back into the tub until (the boy) eventually stopped crying and sat down in the water,” Detective Thomas Durden of the Nashua Police Department wrote in court records.
Marquis allegedly then left the child alone in the shower sitting cross-legged on the base of the tub, according to court documents.
“Caleb stated that he was not paying attention to (the boy) and it was not until he returned to the bathroom that he realized (the boy) was unconscious,” wrote Durden.
Marquis told authorities that the bathroom was filled with smoke from the marijuana and steam from the shower, according to a prosecutor synopsis on file at Hillsborough County Superior Court South in Nashua.
Hillsborough County Attorney Brian Greklek-McKeon said the boy was unconscious when Marquis lifted him out of the shower and placed him in front of an air-conditioning unit before going to get help.
Although the child was initially evaluated at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua, he was later transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with burns on his left and right cheek, forehead and the left side of his body, according to Greklek-McKeon, who said tetrahydrocannabinol, the main ingredient in cannabis, was also discovered in the child’s system.
The boy is now in stable condition, he said.
The shower water, according to the child’s parents, can become extremely hot at times, they told the court on Thursday during an arraignment.
“The water in the shower gets hot randomly,” said Isaia Ashland, the boy’s mother and Marquis’ girlfriend. Ashland said she should have addressed the problem with the landlord.
“That is on me,” she said.
Gregory Pelletier, the boy’s father, agreed that the water temperature can be a problem, and has previously caused burns on his own arms.
“I know (Marquis) has children of his own. I know for a fact he would never put a child in harm’s way, ever. It was an honest mistake,” said Pelletier. “ … I apologize now in advance, but some of the story has definitely been twisted around.”
Marquis is facing a felony charge of second-degree assault and misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless conduct. If convicted of the most serious offense, he could face up to seven years in prison.
“This is absolutely egregious behavior to do to an 18-month-old child,” said Greklek-McKeon.
Public defender Sophia Breene said Marquis has no history of violence, adding he has children of his own that are 6 and 9.
“It was not anything done purposely or recklessly on his part,” Breene said of the incident.
Marquis pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail until an evidentiary hearing on Sept. 25. He has been ordered to have no contact with the victim.