Man charged with beating young sisters

DANVERS (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - A Danvers man charged with beating his fiancee's 2-year-old and 6-year-old daughters has been ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing.

J. Franco Bertone was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of assault and battery on a child with injury.

Police say the injuries occurred between Aug. 15 and Aug. 29 while Bertone was living with his fiancee and her daughters at a motel, because they were homeless. Bertone is not the girls' biological father.

The Salem News reports that he told police his discipline was "tough love."

Bertone pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Salem District Court and was ordered held without bail until a dangerousness hearing on Sept. 8.

The state Department of Children and Families is investigating.