DUBOIS – A DuBois man charged with assault for allegedly slapping a boy so hard he knocked his glasses off waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday during centralized court.
David Joseph McElwee, 33, also allegedly slammed the 12-year-old boy into a wall and threw a cell phone at him, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed by DuBois City police on Oct. 23.
McElwee is also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment.
Police say the victim reported that McElwee has physically abused him multiple times and punished him by making him do squats while holding heavy objects. He stated he was abused on a regular basis, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Photos taken of the boy reportedly showed bruising on his arms and legs that are consistent with the abuse he had described.
His mother also provided investigators with a photo from January that showed bruising on the juvenile’s lower back, which allegedly came from McElwee hitting him with a paddle.
In addition, the boy reportedly stated a friend of his father’s would visit the residence and force him to smoke cigarettes and chew tobacco.
McElwee is free on $10,000 unsecured bail.