WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Bethel man accused of failing to watch his 18-month-old daughter when she drowned in the White River in 2019 has seen the charges related to her death dismissed as part of a plea deal.

Isaac McEwan, 22, was initially charged with abandoning a child and obstruction of justice following the death of his daughter, Heaven McEwan. Instead, he pleaded guilty in Windsor Superior Court on Friday to violation of probation, two counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct for two unrelated assault cases.

As part of the plea deal, the neglect and obstruction charges were dismissed, and he was sentenced to up to one year in prison for violating his probation, as well as a suspended one-year jail sentence and two years of probation.

McEwan, who attended the sentencing virtually Friday, said little during the hearing but told Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Mann that he was still grieving his daughter’s death.

“The loss of my daughter has also been bothering me,” McEwan said. “It does really affect me.”

Heaven’s mother, Teresa Terrazas, who also appeared virtually for the hearing, told the judge that she disagrees with the plea deal and with McEwan’s sentence.

“It doesn’t make sense how he can get away with his negligence,” Terrazas said. “This isn’t a fair plea agreement and my daughter deserves more than she’s been given.”

The initial neglect and obstruction charges stemmed from an outing in July 2019 when McEwan and his girlfriend Laura Shaw brought Heaven and McEwan’s other daughter to go swimming under the Quechee-West Hartford bridge, according to an affidavit written by Hartford Police Officer Sean Fernandes.

Shaw told police she had been watching Heaven in the water while McEwan was berry-picking, and that when the toddler left to go see her father, Shaw got up to check her phone, the affidavit said. She told police that when she looked up 30 seconds later the girl was missing.

After a short search, McEwan found Heaven floating under the bridge, according to police.

However, police believe the couple lied about how long they left Heaven without watching her, and how much alcohol they had to drink while at the river, according to the affidavit.

Shaw pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of reckless endangerment and one count of giving false information to a police officer. She received a deferred one-year prison sentence and two years of probation.

Though McEwan did not plead guilty to any charges relating to his daughter’s death, he did admit Friday to committing an unrelated assault on Nov. 2 when he got into a fistfight with an acquaintance of his neighbor, according to an affidavit written by Hartford Police Officer Mitchel Cable.

During the fight, McEwan was on probation for a 2019 negligent operation conviction, leading police to charge him with violating probation as well as assault and disorderly conduct, according to Windsor County State’s Attorney Ward Goodenough.

McEwan also pleaded guilty Friday to another assault charge for punching Shaw’s ex-boyfriend in May 2020, according to an affidavit written by Hartford Police Officer Daniel Solomita.

The sentence comes with conditions that McEwan must not drink alcohol or use firearms during the two years he’s on probation.

Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.