A Tamaqua man was committed to the Schuylkill County Prison on charges he assaulted a 6-year-old girl with mental disabilities, borough police said.

Antonio Lee Bretado, 20, of Hunter Street, was unable to post $100,000 straight cash bail.

According to police, officers received a report on Feb. 7 from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia about the girl, who was transferred to the facility from Lehigh Valley Hospital in Lehighton. The girl, they said, was bleeding from her private area. Hospital officials said the girl needed surgery and was admitted to the hospital. They also noted that a rape kit had been performed.

Police spoke with the victim’s mother who said that Bretado brought the girl to her on the morning of Feb. 6 because she had messed herself. The mother found a very large amount of blood in her pullup diaper and took her to the hospital. The mother said the girl could not explain what happened because she is nonverbal autistic.

On the day it happened, the mother said she checked and changed the girl in the morning. She said Bretado checked on the girl later that morning, and was alone with her for about 15 minutes. She said Bretado has watched the girl in the past and that there had never been any problems.

Medical exam notes from CHOP revealed that the girl suffered lacerations and bruising to her private area.

“Such injuries are indicative of sexual assault,” the hospital noted.

State police assisted in the investigation. On Feb. 21, Bretado admitted to a trooper that he assaulted the girl.

Tamaqua police spoke to Bretado later that day. Under questioning, he admitted that he assaulted the girl with his finger. He told police that his hormones took over, and that he stopped when the girl began to cry out in pain.

He was taken into custody and arraigned before Magisterial District Judge David Rossi on charges of aggravated indecent assault without consent, aggravated indecent assault of a person who suffers mental disabilities, aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, endangering the welfare of children, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, indecent assault of a person with a mental disability and corruption of minors.