July 2, 2021- 10:31 a.m.
The Brewer father charged with manslaughter in the death of his 6-week-old son told police that the boy put his head back, stuck his tongue out and went limp in his arms just before he stopped breathing on Memorial Day.
The affidavit offers more details on the first of three killings of young Maine children within three weeks last month, allegedly by parents.
Harding is scheduled to be arraigned at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor. He is expected to plead not guilty.
While prosecutors have said the infant was violently shaken, Ronald Harding, 36, denied shaking his son, Jaden, according to the police affidavit unsealed Thursday, the day after Harding was indicted by the Penobscot County grand jury.
Harding denied shaking his son and causing his injuries.
Harding called 911 the evening of Memorial Day, May 31, to report that his infant was unresponsive and not breathing, according to Maine State Police. The boy was taken to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in critical condition and died the next day, on June 1.
He and the boy’s mother told Maine State Police detectives that on Memorial Day the family went to Newport and spent the afternoon at Harding’s mother’s house. When they returned home at about 6 p.m., the mother carried the sleeping boy, who was in his car seat, into their Brewer home, the affidavit said.
Maine woman charged with killing 3-year-old son
The boy’s mother allegedly told detectives that she held Jaden for a few minutes before handing him to Harding. The baby’s eyes were open and he was smiling and cooing at her before she went to give baths to her other children, she told police.
About 20 minutes later, Jaden went limp and Harding took him to the bathroom where the boy’s mother was bathing the other children, who are not related to Harding, the court document said. She took Jaden while Harding called 911.
She told detectives that while she was in the bathroom, she heard Jaden crying but she let Harding tend to the boy rather than intervene. She described it as a “normal baby cry,” the affidavit said.
