BARRE — A Northfield Falls man is accused of driving dangerously with his 2-year-old daughter in the car.

Jesse L. Hodgdon, 39, pleaded not guilty to charges of careless or negligent operation and child cruelty on a child less than 10 years old, both misdemeanors, in Washington County criminal court Thursday. If convicted, he faces a maximum of three years in prison and a $1,500 fine.

According to the police affidavit, witnesses saw Hodgdon tailgate a slow vehicle on Route 12 heading toward Berlin. When the vehicle turned onto Muzzy Road, Hodgdon allegedly “got close to the car and laid on the horn, then swerved around him, missing the turning car by only a few inches.”

A witness said Hodgdon then passed another slow car near the Econo Lodge and nearly had a head-on collision with another vehicle.

The witnesses called police, who located Hodgdon at the Cumberland Farms in Berlin. Police said they saw Hodgdon’s daughter in a car seat in the locked vehicle, which was not running although the temperature was around 36 degrees. They also said Hodgdon would not have been able to see the vehicle from inside the store.