SARANAC LAKE - After a lengthy investigation, a local man was arrested Friday on the accusation that he assaulted and injured a two-month-old boy last March.
Saranac Lake village police arrested Robert J. Call, 24, of Lake Placid, at 10:15 a.m. Friday and charged him with second-degree assault, a class D felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor. He was taken into custody on an arrest warrant issued by Franklin County Court following a grand jury indictment.
Police Chief Bruce Nason told the Enterprise the arrest stems from an incident that occurred in March 2011, when Call allegedly squeezed the infant. Nason said Call is related to the victim but declined to say how because he wanted to protect the boy's identity.
The boy suffered a broken wrist and nine broken ribs as a result of the squeezing, Nason said. The child also suffered other injuries that were not consistent with squeezing, but Nason declined to provide more information about those.
"It took this long to make the arrest because we had to wait for a medical report and then follow up on that," Nason said.
The child has since recovered, and steps were taken to ensure he wasn't in danger of further injury during the investigation, Nason said. No restraining order was filed.
The incident was originally reported as having happened in Clinton County, so state police launched the initial investigation. It was later learned the alleged assault occurred at an apartment in the village of Saranac Lake, on the Franklin County side. Nason declined to say where exactly the assault occurred, again in order to protect the victim's identity.
"State police stayed on board because some witnesses lived outside village and everybody was shorthanded," Nason said. "We're certainly appreciative of the cooperation between the different agencies on this case."
The Franklin and Clinton County Child Protective Services departments assisted in the investigation.
Call was processed by village police and turned over to state police for transport to Franklin County Court in Malone. A booking officer with the county sheriff's department said Call was still in custody and awaiting arraignment as of 6:45 p.m. Friday.
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Contact Chris Morris at 518-891-2600 ext. 26 or cmorris@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.