Newburgh man arrested after 2-year-old girl hurt on Washington Street

A 2-year-old girl was taken by EMS to St. Luke’s Hospital after an incident at a Washington Street home in Newburgh, and prosecutors have charged Lester Chavez, 27, in the case.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Chavez faces third-degree assault and felony criminal mischief. Under New York law, third-degree assault is a class A misdemeanor, and it is the kind of charge often used when investigators believe an injury involved bruising or minor lacerations. The criminal mischief count adds a second alleged offense, suggesting investigators also believe property damage may have occurred inside the residence.

Officials have released few other details about what happened to the child. The district attorney’s office said it has not yet received the 2-year-old’s medical records, and prosecutors have not publicly described the extent of her injuries. That leaves open the possibility of additional charges as investigators continue to gather evidence, interviews and records from the hospital and the scene.

Chavez was released after the arrest because the charges are not bail eligible, but he was ordered to stay away from both the child and her mother. He is due back in court on April 21.

The incident was reported Sunday, April 12, at a residence on Washington Street in the City of Newburgh, a case that has already drawn attention because it involves a very young child and an active criminal investigation in a residential neighborhood. In cases like this, the early public record is often limited while investigators wait for medical information that can clarify how an injury happened and whether the charges should be expanded or changed.

The Newburgh case also lands in a city that has recently been shaken by other serious child violence cases, including a separate January matter involving the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy. That broader backdrop has made child-safety cases especially sensitive in the city and across Orange County, where families and child advocates are watching closely for signs of how the justice system will respond when a toddler is hurt inside a home.