Former Upper Gwynedd Woman Pleads Guilty to ‘Unconscionable’ Abuse of Her Two Children

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A former Upper Gwynedd woman has pleaded guilty to the prolonged abuse of her two children, which included frequent beatings, failure to potty train, and preventing them from bathing and brushing their teeth.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, 45-year-old Preetika Bobal, of Montgomeryville, pleaded guilty last week to one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of children. In exchange for her plea, one felony child endangerment charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, and additional counts of child endangerment and simple assault were dropped.

Court records show Bobal was sentenced to five years’ probation, and she must undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with all recommendations. Sentencing notes indicate she is additionally prohibited from having any contact with the children’s father, and she is prohibited from contesting his petition in Family Court for full custody of their two children.

The charges stem from an investigation by police into the long-term abuse of two children, which Upper Gwynedd Police Chief David Duffy described as "unconscionable and heartbreaking.”

Police said they were called to a home in the township in October 2022 for a report of a domestic disturbance in which a female — later identified as Bobal — was allegedly throwing objects at her two young children, ages 8 and 10 years old. The report was made by Bobal’s ex-husband, who continued to live with Bobal and their children following their divorce.

After establishing the two children hadn’t suffered any obvious injuries, police said they spoke to the husband, who stated he was being controlled by Bobal to the extent that he wasn’t allowed to participate in the parenting of their children, and he was concerned that Bobal’s sole parenting had led to "serious developmental problems” for their children, according to the criminal complaint. As an example of the problems, the father told police that both children were not potty trained and were still utilizing pull-up diapers, and police noted there were several boxes of pull-up diapers observed within the home while on scene, the report states.

The father then prepped the two children for school, and prior to leaving to drop them off, he informed police he would be applying for a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order against Bobal, the report states.

Later that day, the father returned with a completed PFA that required service and eviction of Bobal from their residence, with the children staying behind with their father. An investigation was subsequently launched into the abuse of the two children at the hands of Bobal, police said.

Investigators spoke with the children’s elementary school principal, who stated their progression delays were readily obvious in comparison to their classmates, and added they amassed 29 absence or tardy reports since the beginning of the school year, according to the complaint. The principal also noted that the 8-year-old child had soiled themself on several occasions and had to be picked up from the nurse’s office, the report states.

Due to the children’s small and emaciated appearance, the school nurse filed a report with the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth (OCY), which led to a performance plan being put into place for the children, police said. When interviewed by investigators, the OCY caseworker said the father was being blocked by Bobal from his parental duties, and Bobal "infantized” her two children to the extent she had caused their developmental delays, the report states.

Speaking to police, the father told investigators he was hesitant to come forward or inject himself into the parental duties as Bobal would threaten to have him arrested by police via fabricating allegations against him — a claim later corroborated by his children, who told investigators that Bobal would allegedly coach them on what to say to police and threaten them with violence if they didn’t obey. He also detailed verbal abuse and threats from Bobal that resulted in him hiding in his bedroom to avoid further conflict with her, according to the complaint.

"The father was in a very difficult situation himself,” said Upper Gwynedd Police Chief David Duffy, adding that no charges will be filed against the father. "I believe he cares very much for the children.”

Through further investigation, police learned that Bobal would allegedly give the children large quantities of juice instead of food to keep them from being hungry, and when she did feed them, she would hand feed them snacks instead of appropriate meals, leaving them not knowing how to use eating utensils. Additionally, Bobal would not allow the children to dress themselves, and would wipe them down with baby wipes instead of providing them with a conventional shower or bath, according to charging documents.

As a result of the interviews with the father, the school principal and the OCY caseworker, a pair of interviews with the children were scheduled with Mission Kids, which occurred on Dec. 1, 2022.

During those interviews, the children expressed they were "exponentially happier” now that Bobal was no longer involved in their lives and their father was their full-time parent, police said. They also said they finally felt safe and happy in their home, as they were always fearful of their safety when Bobal was there and they believed she might try to kill them, according to the complaint.

The Mission Kids interviews also revealed years of alleged physical and mental abuse.

Both children indicated that Bobal would regularly strike them with footwear, television remotes, and even their own toys, police said. They also described being knocked unconscious by Bobal and having her grind her footwear into their bare skin, the report states.

Police said the non-physical abuse included significant verbal assaults, the children being placed into dark rooms for unknown periods of time, and being forced to lie to police in the event they were called to the home. Investigators also allegedly uncovered a video of Bobal verbally berating the children while they appeared to be doing homework.

Bobal also allegedly would leave the children in soiled diapers to the extent they would fall off due to the weight, and, according to police, she also prohibited both children from brushing their teeth — something they said they are excited to do now three times a day under their father's guidance.

On the medical side, police said the 10-year-old was listed as being in less than the first percentile in body mass index, weight, and height as calculated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Likewise, the 8-year-old’s body mass index ranked them in the second percentile and their height and weight were both in the first percentile, according to police. Evidence of past trauma was noted in both children, and though Bobal did take her children to the doctor, police said she never followed through on recommendations for blood work, x-rays or specialty care.

"This is one of the most long-term abuse situations our department has investigated,” Duffy said. "We are all disturbed by this case and any case that involves the welfare of children.”

Charges were initially filed against Bobal on Feb. 3, 2023 and she was subsequently arraigned on the charges several days later by Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard, who set bail at $50,000 unsecured.

When asked if the duration and intensity of the alleged abuse could be indicative of a systemic failure to protect the children, Duffy said it was natural to second guess what could have been done now that the allegations are established, and he offered praise to the organizations that assisted with the investigation.

"I think the organizations involved in this case helped to uncover the abuse and caused the detailed investigation that was done by [Upper Gwynedd Police] Detective Jon Gill,” Duffy said. "Of course, once the depth and nature of the abuse is fully learned, it is natural to second guess what could have been done to prevent it.”

A spokesperson for North Penn School District declined this news organization’s request for comment. However, Duffy said the district acted on the information they had and fully cooperated with the investigation.

If you suspect child abuse or need to report the physical abuse of children, please contact your local police department or file a report with ChildLine.