National

Vendor at fair sees man shove and hit 3-year-old in the face, Pennsylvania cops say

Police said the child had red marks on his face and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, local news outlets reported.
Police said the child had red marks on his face and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, local news outlets reported. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A Pennsylvania man is accused of assaulting a toddler at a local farm show, hitting and pushing the child with “unreasonable force,” local outlets reported.

The child’s mother told WPXI that the man is his father.

The 45-year-old Butler man was arrested Aug. 9 on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, assault, and harassment, according to court records.

Attorney information for the man was not available. McClatchy News is not naming the father to protect the identity of his son.

Witnesses at the Butler Farm Show, where the man was in attendance with the 3-year-old, said they saw the man hit the child in the face twice with “unreasonable force,” KDKA reported, citing court records.

One of the witnesses, a food vendor at the fair, told police the man pushed the child into his stroller so hard it collapsed, the Butler Eagle reported.

Police said the child had marks on his face from the assault and was taken to a local hospital, WTAE reported.

The boy’s mother has filed a protection from abuse order against his father, WPXI reported.

The man was released from Butler County Prison on a $10,000 bond on Aug. 10, court records show.

He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing Sept. 4.

Butler is about a 35-mile drive north from Pittsburgh.

If you suspect a child has experienced, is currently experiencing, or is at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect, your first step should be to contact the appropriate agency. The Child Welfare Information Gateway has a list of state agencies you can contact. Find help specific to your area here.

For additional help, the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline has professional crisis counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 170 languages. All calls are confidential. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. You can call or text 1-800-422-4453.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, please call 911 for help.


Read Next
Read Next
Read Next

This story was originally published August 13, 2024 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Vendor at fair sees man shove and hit 3-year-old in the face, Pennsylvania cops say."

Lauren Liebhaber
mcclatchy-newsroom
Lauren Liebhaber covers international science news with a focus on taxonomy and archaeology at McClatchy. She holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University and a master’s degree from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Previously, she worked as a data journalist at Stacker.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER