Andover firefighter Adam Cole pleaded not guilty to a child endangerment charge at his arraignment in Derry District Court on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Cole, 33, was released on $5,000 cash bail.

Cole, a firefighter and paramedic with Andover Fire Rescue, was arrested Monday, Aug. 24, on charges of second-degree assault of a victim under 13, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child. He was held without bail after his arrest and arraigned the following day, Patch reported.

The charges stem from a multi-week Londonderry Police Department investigation into injuries suffered by a 3-month-old boy on July 5. The New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) had notified police that the child was taken to Elliot Hospital. Medical records there indicated a subarachnoid hemorrhage and a nondisplaced fracture of the right clavicle. The child was later transferred to Boston Children's Hospital.

Medical staff at both hospitals told investigators the injuries appeared non-accidental, according to the police affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Cole told a detective during an Aug. 10 interview that he was cradling the child and applied two hard bumps to the child's back while thrusting the child into his body. The child cried and then had a seizure, the affidavit states. Cole also told the detective his wife was not aware of the incident.

When a detective asked whether he had gotten rough with the child the night of July 5, Cole said, "It could be a possibility," and nodded yes, according to the affidavit.

The Town of Andover confirmed after Cole's arrest that he had been placed on administrative leave. Chief Human Resources Officer Michelle Roach said in an Aug. 26 statement that the town placed Cole on leave pending further review and would not comment further because of the ongoing criminal proceeding and personnel matter, as Andover News reported. The town's most recent public statement on the matter was Roach's Aug. 26 response.

The charges do not constitute a conviction.

Cole is scheduled to return to Derry District Court for a probable cause hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 23.