A 25-year-old Oak Harbor man recently pleaded guilty to breaking a 3-year-old boy’s arm.

Prosecutors charged James “Nick” Bayley in Island County Superior Court July 21 with the third-degree assault of a child. He pleaded guilty to the charge Dec. 10.

Judge Alan Hancock went along with an agreed recommendation from the defense and prosecution in sentencing Bayley to 75 days in jail and ordering him to pay $1,127 in fines and fees.

Sgt. Jerry Baker with the Oak Harbor Police Dept. wrote in a report that he worked on the case with a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent since the victim’s mother was in the Navy. Child Protective Services first became involved in the case after an anonymous caller said Bayley caused the injury to the boy.

The NCIS agent told Baker that when Bayley and the family were stationed in Florida in 2002, the child’s mother reported she was concerned that he had abused the little boy, who had bruises on his legs, cheek and arms. The woman also reported to Navy authorities, the report states, that Bayley once tried to physically stop her from leaving their home with the boy.

According to the report, the boy was placed with his grandmother for three months and Navy officials asked Bayley to attend parenting classes and anger management counseling.

Recently, Baker and the NCIS agent interviewed Bayley and the victim’s mother at CPS. The boy’s mother and Bayley both initially said that the boy broke his wrist from falling down stairs. Bayley later changed his story and admitted that he caused the injury. He said he was trying to put a coat on the little boy, but the youngster wasn’t moving fast enough, so he jerked the boy’s arm. Bayley told police that he heard a snapping noise.

The boy’s mother said she lied about the incident because she was a poor E-3 in the Navy and had two kids to raise, Baker wrote.

You can reach Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 675-6611.