Dakota L. Anthony, 20, is pictured being led back to a police vehicle after he was processed at the State Police Troop D barracks. Anthony was arrested and charged on Friday in the assault of a 2-year-old girl.

A 20-year-old man was arrested today in connection with the alleged assault of his live-in girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter, who was taken to the emergency room at a Pittsburgh hospital last week with life-threatening brain and head injuries.

The suspect, Dakota L. Anthony, claimed the girl suffered injuries on Dec. 10 in an accidental fall at their home in Petrolia. But doctors subsequently told investigators the injuries were a possible case of child abuse, state police said.

Anthony is being held in the Butler County Prison without bail. He faces felony and other assault charges. The girl remains in critical condition at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.

This is a breaking news report — read more in Sunday's Butler Eagle.