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The two men charged with five felony counts of assault for allegedly setting a 5-year-old boy's head on fire in Anchor Point last month pleaded not guilty in Superior Court Tuesday.

Stephen R. Dilley II and Jonathon M. Miller are charged with two class C felonies of assault, two class A felonies of assault and one class B felony of assault.

The indictment states they recklessly caused physical injury to a child under 10 years of age with a dangerous instrument and failed to seek medical attention from a health care professional.

The men are scheduled for an omnibus hearing in Kenai on Jan. 19 and a trial call in Kenai on Feb. 18. Their trial is set for Feb. 22 in Homer.

Since responding to the incident, Alaska State Trooper Ryan Browning said he has had many individuals call him with stories about the men's troubled pasts. He could not confirm any of the anecdotal reports, however.

"I've had several families call me. Basically, these two guys have a history and they shouldn't be left in society," Browning said Monday.

Browning was first notified of the incident when a 5-year-old student at Chapman Elementary School in Anchor Point came to school on Nov. 16 with burns on his face and head, according to Browning's affidavit.

The boy told Browning that Miller, the boy's mother's current boyfriend, and Miller's friend "Steve-O" (Dilley) were watching him on Nov. 13. The men grabbed a compressed can of starter fluid, called the 5-year-old boy and lit it in the boy's direction, according to the affidavit.

Dilley said, "You know what would be funny?" and handed the can to Miller. Miller said "Do you know how much trouble I could get in for this?" before igniting the "redneck flamethrower," the affidavit states.

Miller said he did not mean to hurt the boy. He was trying toughen the boy up and the best way to do that is to "scare the (expletive) out of them when they don't see it coming," according to Browning's affidavit.

The boy called it a "practical joke gone wrong," Browning's affidavit sates.

"What kind of 5-year-old talks like that?" Browning said Monday. "You immediately start thinking there's some coaching going on."

When Browning saw the boy on Nov. 16, he saw burn marks on the boy's face that spanned from the bridge of the boy's nose to the left earlobe. Browning's affidavit also states that some of the boy's hair was singed.

"The inside of his nose looked like cracked leather," Browning said Monday. "He had a half dollar-sized blister on his left temple, and he said when he picks his nose his skin bleeds."

Reporter Andrew Waite can be reached at andrew.waite@peninsulaclarion.com.