A former Navy sailor who was arrested five years after he allegedly inflicted life-threatening injuries on his 18-month-old son pleaded guilty Tuesday in New London Superior Court to risk of injury to a minor.

David Diaz, 39, of Branford will be sentenced Nov. 13 to up to a year in prison followed by three years of probation. The victim, who now lives in California with his mother and grandmother, has made a good recovery, according to prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman.

Diaz was arrested as a fugitive from justice in Florida in November. He was extradited to Connecticut, where Groton Town Police served him with a warrant charging him with first-degree assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Police said Diaz held his hand over his son’s mouth and nose to stop him from screaming, depriving him of oxygen and causing him to suffer a life-threatening seizure. Hospital staff became suspicious when Diaz and his wife brought the child to the hospital in the midst of the seizure, saying it began after he was put in “time out” after having a tantrum, and that the child had a history of holding his breath.

Diaz was released from prison to a Veterans Affairs program in March. He pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine, which indicates he doesn’t agree with the state’s version of the case but wants to avoid a trial and the possibility of a harsher sentence. He is represented by attorney M. Fred DeCaprio from the public defender’s office.

k.florin@theday.com