Manchester Teen Accused Of Assaulting 2-Month-Old Baby Girl

MANCHESTER, NH — A teen from Manchester was arrested and held after being accused of first-degree assault against a Manchester girl.

On March 7, police and fire and rescue teams were sent to Conant Street in Manchester for a report of an unresponsive 2-month-old girl. The girl was taken to a local hospital, Heather Hamel, the public information officer for the Manchester Police Department, said, due to head trauma and bruising.

“Due to the severity of her injuries, she was transferred to a Boston Hospital for further treatment,” she said.

During the next two weeks, police investigated the case and built probable cause to arrest Tommie Johnson, 19, of Alsace Street in Manchester, who was known to the child, Hamel said. He was charged Tuesday with first-degree assault and held on $10,000 cash bail. Court documents said Johnson applied for and received a public defender for his case.

An affidavit for the case was sealed and not available at post time. But a complaint stated Johnson “shook” the girl, which resulted “in a skull fracture and brain hemorrhages.”

On Wednesday, he was released on personal recognizance and warned to have no contact with the girl and not to discuss the case with another family member. He was also barred from having any contact with anyone under 16.

Johnson is back in Hillsborough County Superior Court North for a dispositional conference hearing on May 24.

If convicted, Johnson could spend seven and a half to 15 years in prison and face $4,000 in fines.

According to superior court records, Johnson was accused of felony reckless conduct-deadly weapon, simple assault, and operating without a valid license charges after an incident in Pittsfield in June 2021. He was accused of driving a vehicle at a high rate of speed with a passenger inside the vehicle. Johnson was indicted on the felony charge in October 2021. But after nearly a year of mediation, motions, and a plea and sentencing agreement, the charges were nolle prossed and the case closed.

Have you got a news tip? Please send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.