A New Hampshire man is facing child endangerment charges after he allegedly put his infant daughter into a clothes dryer and turned on the machine while she was inside.
Michael Higgins, 34, of Manchester, was arrested Sunday on charges including criminal threatening, reckless conduct, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Manchester Police Department.
Officers responding to a domestic incident learned that Higgins had been arguing with the mother of his child, but said it didn’t look like things had gotten physical.
During the investigation, the woman told officers that last Wednesday Higgins had allegedly put their infant daughter into the clothes dryer and turned it on.
The mother said she quickly removed the girl from the running dryer. Officers said the child did not appear to be injured.
“It’s very disturbing,” a Manchester police spokesperson told local station WHDH-TV. “This child is just 4-months-old and was put inside a dryer — it doesn’t matter if it’s a few seconds. The point of the matter is, this child is at a young age who can get hurt very easily. This is very frightening for the child, traumatic. And traumatic for the mother who witnessed the whole thing as well.”
On Monday, Higgins reportedly waived his arraignment. A judge ordered him to remain in jail without bail, saying his release ”would pose a danger to the community and the alleged victims based on the nature of the alleged assault,” according to Patch.com.
The judge also noted that Higgins has a history of domestic violence and an “apparent conviction for violating a restraining order in Massachusetts.”
Police did not release any information on when Higgins might appear in court, according to NBC Boston.
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