AUBURN – A Lisbon Falls man has been charged with assaulting his 22-month-old son two days before the toddler died at a Portland hospital.

Jeremy Allen, 29, was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of assault. Without providing specific details, the indictment charges that Allen knowingly caused bodily harm to his adopted son on Feb. 13.

Nathaniel Allen died Feb. 15 at Maine Medical Center. Nearly two weeks later, police charged his mother, 29-year-old Sarah Allen, with violently shaking the baby the day before he died.

The family lives on Lincoln Street in Lisbon Falls. Investigators say that is where the child was assaulted by his father Feb. 13 and shaken by his mother a day later.

Sarah Allen has since been released from jail. She has been charged with manslaughter and is awaiting trial.

The charge against Sarah Allen alleges that it was her actions that caused the injuries that ultimately led to Nathaniel’s death. She faces up to 40 years in prison.

The charge of assault against Jeremy Allen does not directly implicate him in the death of his son. He faces up to five years behind bars.

Investigators have said Jeremy Allen, who works in the public affairs office at Brunswick Naval Air Station, was not home the day Nathaniel was shaken.

According to court records, Sarah Allen called 911 on Feb. 14 to report her son was not breathing. She told medical officials the boy had fallen while taking a bath.

Police interviewed both parents after the toddler died. They also consulted with physicians who treated the toddler. Medical experts said Nathaniel’s injuries were consistent with shaken-baby syndrome, including bleeding around the retina.

Detectives arrested Sarah Allen on Feb. 26. She was later released from jail on $25,000 cash bail. Her lawyer, Verne Paradie of Auburn, has maintained that the state did not investigate enough to determine whether Nathaniel’s injuries may have resulted from something other than shaken-baby syndrome.

Sarah Allen, who worked at Hope House, a support center for pregnant women and single mothers, has maintained her innocence. She insists Nathaniel was hurt when he slipped during a bath.

It was unclear why Jeremy Allen was not charged until more than two months had passed since the death of his son. He was indicted April 29 by an Androscoggin County grand jury.

The Allens adopted Nathaniel from Guatemala in April 2002. The adoption was arranged through a private, out-of-state agency, according to a spokesman for the Maine Department of Human Services.

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