A 27-year-old Montville man pleaded guilty Thursday to beating two young children while caring for them at their Norwich home in February 2014.

Christopher Thibodeau, 27, will be sentenced Sept. 4 to 30 months in prison followed by five years of special parole for beating two siblings, ages 2 and 4, with a piece of material from a train track and a plastic gun.

According to prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman, the children's mother walked into the Norwich Police Department in February 2014 to complain that her boyfriend had beaten her children while caring for them. The older child's teacher had noticed injuries on the child and contacted the state Department of Children and Families. Thibodeau texted the mother an apology, Ferryman said, but later denied having assaulted the children.

Thibodeau, who was represented by attorney Jerome W. Paun, mumbled the answers to a series of questions that Judge Hillary B. Strackbein asked to ensure he understood the plea agreement. He pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine, which indicates he does not agree with the state's allegations but does not want to risk conviction at trial and the possibility of a harsher sentence.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN