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New Hampshire man arrested after girlfriend’s toddler son burned in scalding-hot shower, police say

NASHUA, N.H. — A New Hampshire man is behind bars after police said he pushed his girlfriend’s toddler son into a scalding shower, where the child suffered burns.

According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, Nashua police arrested Caleb Marquis, 28, on charges of second-degree assault, child endangerment and reckless conduct in connection with the incident, which occurred Tuesday, authorities said.

Marquis said he put the crying toddler in the shower and flushed the toilet, which made the shower water much hotter, the Union Leader reported. Marquis, who said he didn’t purposely realize the water had gotten so hot, never checked the water temperature, authorities said.

Although the boy repeatedly tried to get away from the hot water, Marquis “used his hand to push him back into the tub until (the boy) eventually stopped crying and sat down in the water,” court documents said. Marquis then left the child there unattended, police said.

Marquis, who had been smoking marijuana, later returned to the shower to find the boy unconscious and the bathroom filled with steam, authorities said, according to the Union Leader. Marijuana smoke also filled the room, officials said. Marquis then removed the boy from the shower, put him by an air conditioner and called for help, Hillsborough County Attorney Brian Greklek-McKeon said.

The boy was rushed to the hospital and treated for burns on his left side, forehead and cheeks, Greklek-McKeon said. The toddler also had THC from the marijuana in his system, the newspaper reported.

The child’s mother and father spoke in support of Marquis during his arraignment Thursday, saying the water “randomly” gets hot and calling the incident “an honest mistake,” according to the Union Leader.

Marquis entered a not guilty plea in the case and remains jailed without bond, the newspaper reported.

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