By VDC staff

A former Newark man accused of injuring his six-week-old daughter has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault under an agreement that could eventually clear the conviction from his record, according to the September 23 Caledonian-Record.

Thomas Hatfield, 26, entered the plea Monday. A charge of cruelty to a child was dismissed as part of the agreement accepted by the court.

Hatfield received a five-year deferred sentence and will be on probation during that period. If he complies with probation conditions for all five years, the aggravated assault conviction will be stricken from his record.

According to the Caledonian-Record, Hatfield was arrested last September following a Vermont State Police investigation that began after the Department for Children and Families reported suspected physical abuse of an infant on Sept. 6, 2025.

Trooper Joshua Lewis wrote in an affidavit that hospital staff found the six-week-old girl had six fractured ribs in different stages of healing and a broken leg that was healing.

Hatfield initially said a dog had jumped onto the bed where the baby was, according to the affidavit. But after hospital staff explained their findings, Hatfield reportedly acknowledged causing the injuries by squeezing the child.

Hatfield told investigators he had become “frustrated” by the baby’s crying and “squeezed (his daughter) trying to quiet her down,” Lewis wrote.

Aggravated assault carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. The dismissed cruelty-to-a-child charge carried a potential penalty of up to 10 years.

Under the probation conditions, Hatfield may be required to undergo counseling related to mental health and anger. He is prohibited from violent or threatening behavior and from possessing firearms.

Hatfield also may not have contact with his daughter, now 14 months old, except for contact supported and supervised by a third-party provider, according to the Caledonian-Record.