(Editor’s note: all identifying details from this incident, including the names and ages of the accused, have been removed to protect the identity of the victim. If you suspect abuse or need to report the physical abuse of children, please contact your local police department or Montgomery County Child Protective Services.)
A Souderton Borough woman and her live-in boyfriend are facing felony child endangerment charges after the woman’s young daughter was found lost in the streets and later told police she had been repeatedly physically assaulted by her mother.
The investigation began in April when neighbors found the young female child lost in the street and attempted to help her. The girl told the neighbors she was looking for a friend’s house and said she didn’t want to go home due to physical abuse. Police located the girl, who told them her mother had allegedly beaten her with a belt and she didn’t want to go home because she feared she would be beaten again.
The girl was then transported to the police station, where police observed red marks on the girl’s back consistent with a belt buckle, as well as large, older bruises around her spine between her hips and mid-back and her lower left side, according to charging documents. The girl told police that five or six days prior, her mother allegedly struck her with a belt several times, resulting in the older bruising, the report states.
As the interview with investigators continued, the girl said there were many other times where her mother struck her with a belt, and when a belt wasn’t available, her mother would use a cell phone charging cable, police said.
The girl participated in a follow up interview with Mission Kids in June, in which she disclosed further abuse, as well attempts by her mother to allegedly conceal the bruising, the report states. The assaults included being struck with a belt and being struck with a charging cord, to having her ears pulled, being slapped in the face, and having her head pushed into a wall, police said.
As a result of the ongoing abuse, the girl told investigators she had created coping mechanisms to deal with the pain, including taking deep breaths and counting to 10.
The mother was officially charged in June with one felony count of endangering the welfare of a child, along with multiple misdemeanor counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment. She is currently free on $10,000 unsecured bail.
Though the criminal complaint does not contain any information indicating the live-in boyfriend actively participated in the abuse, he was subsequently charged in July with a felony count of endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly failing to stop or report the abuse.
“[The boyfriend], having resided with [the mother] and [her daughter] for some time as a family, knew or should have known of the physical abuse [the mother] has used against her daughter,” reads a portion of the criminal complain against the boyfriend. “[The boyfriend] failed to intervene in that abuse and has failed to protect [the girl] from abuse.”
He is also currently free on $10,000 unsecured bail, as both
he and the mother await their preliminary hearings.
The victim has not been living with the mother or her boyfriend since the alleged abuse was reported, according to an email from the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. This story was updated to reflect the child's current custody status.
See also:
Hilltown Man Arrested After Entering Random Home, Getting Slapped by Homeowner, Police Say
Registered Sex Offender from Towamencin Federally Indicted on Child Pornography Charges
Hatfield Man Accused of Kidnapping, Assaulting Woman in Telford Borough
Lansdale Man Accused of Assaulting Staff at Jefferson Lansdale Hospital
Woman Accused of Stealing $5,443 from Macy's at Montgomery Mall
