Kid Assault Case Of Manchester Religious Leader On Path To Trial

MANCHESTER, CT — A serious assault case involving a child and a man records describe as a Manchester-based religious leader is on a pathway to trial, a clerk at Hartford Superiour Court said.

Robert Nichols, of Botticello Drive, was charged last August with first-degree assault, intentional cruelty to persons, and risk of injury to a child, according to judicial system records. He made an appearance in court Tuesday and left with an opened-ended calendar for a trial date, the clerk said.

He has been free after posting a $150,000 bond, judicial system records show.

According to case records, the assault involved a 10-month-old baby. He is accused of, during a 10-day span in 2013, slamming the child against the floor and giving it ice baths, according to case records.

Police began investigating Nichols in October 2013. The child had serious head injuries, according to case records. It was punished for not being obedient to Nichols, according to a case records.

According to a Hartford Courtant report, Nichols rejected a plea deal Tuesday.