WHITEFISH – A Whitefish man accused of putting his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son in a tub of scalding water has pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault and criminal mischief.
Juan Vasquez, 27, entered his plea Wednesday in Flathead County Justice Court. He remains jailed on $100,000 bail.
The 5-year-old boy suffered second- and third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body on Oct. 24 and is being treated in the burn unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Family members say he has had several surgeries for skin grafting and could face several more.