Scalding suspect faces drug charges

A Whitefish man accused of forcing his girlfriend's 5-year-old child into a bathtub full of scalding water, severely burning the boy, has pleaded innocent to drug charges.

During an arraignment Thursday morning in Flathead County District Court, Juan Miguel Vasquez, 27, pleaded not guilty to fraudulently obtaining dangerous drugs.

According to court documents, Vasquez in November signed for three of his girlfriend's prescriptions in her name at a Whitefish pharmacy while she was at a Washington state hospital with her injured son.

The boy, who suffered second- and third-degree burns to more than 40 percent of his body, was treated for three months at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Vasquez's girlfriend told investigators she did not receive the prescriptions - which included painkillers and sleeping pills - nor were they found at their residence.

But Vasquez 'vehemently" denied the drug charges in testimony given during a bond reduction hearing Thursday afternoon.

Vasquez, who has limited mobility from a serious back injury and has extensive family connections in Northwest Montana, is not a flight risk, argued his attorney, Carolyn Gill. She also argued that police reports in the abuse case indicate Vasquez's actions were more consistent with negligence than an intentional act.

Prosecutors, however, pointed out the severity of the charges and said Vasquez should remain in custody.

Flathead County District Court Judge Stewart E. Stadler ultimately denied Gill's motion to reduce bail, and bond remains at $120,000.

Vasquez is awaiting trial in June on aggravated assault and criminal endangerment charges in connection with the alleged child abuse.

Whitefish police responded to the boy's Ramsey Avenue residence on Oct. 24, 2008 and discovered the injured boy. Vasquez, who was in a relationship with the boy's mother, was taking care of the child at her home.

In interviews with a detective from the Seattle Police Department, the boy said that Vasquez put him in the bathtub of scalding water and then forced him to stay there, despite his screams. According to court documents, a doctor and child-abuse expert at Harborview told investigators the pattern of burns on the boy's body is consistent with forced immersion.

The boy was released from the hospital in late January but is still undergoing extensive medical treatment and is experiencing some disability, prosecutors said.

If convicted of abusing the boy, Vasquez could face as long as 30 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. He could face an additional five years in prison and $50,000 in fines in convicted of the drug charges.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com