SAN DIEGO -- A Washington state man accused with his wife of fatally overmedicating their infant son during a trip to San Diego last fall pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony child abuse charge.

Thomas Boettger Sr., 38, was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail.

He and his wife, Lorrie, were arrested March 12 in Seattle and booked in connection with the death last Oct. 25 of 6-month-old Thomas Jr.

Boettger and his wife face the same charge -- child abuse likely to produce great bodily injury, along with an allegation that they personally inflicted great bodily injury or death on their son.

The baby died at a home in the 4400 block of 44th Street in the Talmadge area, where the family was staying with relatives. They had arrived in San Diego after a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim several days earlier.

According to a declaration in support of the arrest warrant, the parents -- who live in Shelton, Wash., a small town about 20 miles northwest of Olympia -- told investigators the baby was colicky and they diagnosed him with "acid reflux."

The father said that because his young son had colic and had a difficult time calming down, he gave him an over-the-counter adult sleeping medication, Sominex, and Mylanta for the acid reflux, the declaration states.

According to the document, the father told a medical investigator that his son woke up about 5 a.m. last Oct. 25, crying heavily, and he gave the baby a dose of Zantac and a half-tablet of Sominex.

He later gave another account, in which he said he gave his son crushed half-pills of Unisom, Zantac and Benadryl via syringes and bottles, said medical investigator James Ramirez.

The cause of death was listed as acute doxylamine (Unisom) and diphenhydramine (Sominex or Benadryl) intoxication.

The baby had some bruising on his right arm, but there were no other signs of injury, the declaration stated.

When contacted last month, Lorrie Boettger told San Diego police Officer Timothy Williams that she and her husband took turns administering medications to their son on the day he died.

The defendant said she looked up the medications on the Internet to learn how to dispense the drugs.

Deputy District Attorney Matthew Greco told reporters earlier this week at the mother's arraignment that each parent faces 12 years in state prison if convicted.

Thomas Boettger's attorney, Merle Schneidewind, said his client -- a volunteer emergency medical technician -- "is in tears constantly."

Schneidewind's client and his wife were giving their son medications "they thought would be OK," the lawyer said. "They were giving the child things they thought would help."

Lorrie Boettger's 9-year-old daughter from a previous marriage is staying with her father, Schneidewind said.

Judge David Szumowski scheduled a bail review for Monday and a preliminary hearing for April 10.