A Kalispell man admitted Thursday to breaking a 3-year-old’s arm while trying to discipline her in February 2017.

Christopher Brafford, 29, changed his plea to one count of felony assault on a minor to guilty before Flathead District Court Judge Amy Eddy on June 8, in accordance with a plea deal he made with the state.

According to court documents, officers first responded to a call from Kalispell Regional Medical Center when the child was brought in with a spiral fracture in her arm.

According to the girl’s mother, the girl had been in the care of her boyfriend, Brafford, at the time of the break.

A deputy returned to visit the child in her hospital bed and photograph her injuries.

In his report, he stated he noted bruising on the girl’s arm that was consistent with adult fingers and a red mark on her face the shape and size of an adult’s hand.

The deputy said the girl told him, “That’s where Chris smacked me.”

In an interview with law enforcement, the girl’s mother said Brafford told her he had been trying to spank the child when she twisted in his grip and he heard a pop coming from her arm.

Brafford is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 17. The maximum penalty he faces is five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

According to the plea agreement, the state will recommend the court impose a five-year sentence to the Montana State Prison while the defense will argue for a five-year commitment to the Department of Corrections with all that time suspended.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].