AUGUSTA — Police on Tuesday charged the father of the 2-year-old boy who nearly drowned in the Kennebec River with endangering the welfare of a child.

Christopher Norwood, 31, of Augusta, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a Class D misdemeanor, after Augusta Detective Tori Tracy completed her investigation into the Sept. 16 incident.

The state Department of Health and Human Services has been involved in the investigation since it began and has been working to ensure the safety of the child, according to a news release from Jared Mills, deputy police chief in Augusta.

The 2-year-old boy was rescued from the river by a passer-by, Sean Scanlon, who was on the east bank of the river when he was alerted, by people yelling from the opposite side of the river, that something was wrong. He said the boy, wearing only a hoodie and diaper, was floating face-down in the river and turning blue. Scanlon said he jumped in, grabbed him and brought him to the riverbank where he started chest compressions until Augusta Fire and Rescue arrived to take over life-saving care.

The boy was revived and taken to the hospital. He has since been released from the hospital.

Norwood is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Nov. 21, according to Mills.

This story will be updated.