CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield couple charged in connection with the alleged abuse of a three-year-old boy was in court Wednesday for preliminary hearings.
Richard Allen Hudak, 39, is charged with felony child endangerment (two counts), as well as misdemeanor reckless endangerment and simple assault.
Christina N. Swanson, 28, is also charged with felony child endangerment (two counts), as well as misdemeanor reckless endangerment.
Hudak waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday, while Swanson had all charges bound over following a hearing. Both cases now head to county court for further disposition.
Their bail is currently set at $25,000, unsecured.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Clearfield Borough police were notified of the child’s hospitalization Jan. 21 at Penn Highlands Clearfield.
The child reportedly had bruising on both arms when brought to a custody exchange and was complaining of chest pain, causing medical staff to suspect child abuse.
His father told police that when he asked the child how he got the bruising, the child said “Daddy Richard” did it to him. He said “Daddy Richard” is Hudak, Swanson’s live-in boyfriend.
In the affidavit, it notes officers completed a welfare check at the couple’s residence Jan. 18 and didn’t find anything that would prompt the removal of children.
But when police spoke with the child in his hospital room, he had a number of bruises – in various stages of healing – about his body including his head, chest, arms, hips and knees.
He was asked if he was experiencing any pain, and the child indicated to officers that his chest hurt, and when asked why, he said “Daddy Richard.”
When asked about his other bruising, he said he’d fallen down the stairs but when asked if his mother, Swanson, had coached him to say this, he reportedly nodded yes and said “hmm, hmm.”
In a forensic interview Jan. 22 at the Child Advocacy Center, the child said Hudak punches him in the tummy. Afterwards, he demonstrated how Hudak “hurts” him.
Police also spoke with the child’s father who said he’s shared custody with Swanson since November of 2022 and that a family member facilitates the custody exchanges.
Prior to almost every exchange, he said Swanson messages them saying the child fell again and has bruises from being “the independent” three-year-old that he is.
At one point, he filed for emergency custody but said he was denied and that the judge thought it was “petty” of him to take pictures of the bruises.
After the custody exchange Jan. 21, the father said he wanted to see the child before he went to his other job. As he picked up the child to hug him, he complained that it hurt.
This prompted him to lift the child’s shirt, and once he discovered the bruising, he took the child to Penn Highlands Clearfield for evaluation and treatment.
As part of their investigation, police said they discovered that the child’s daycare worker had noticed makeup was used to cover up a black eye in November 2022.
When confronted about it, Swanson claimed the child was injured because he unbuckled himself, which forced her to “slam” on her brakes and caused him to “fly forward.”
In a forensic interview Nov. 10, the child said Hudak slaps him when he’s “bad” like when he broke Hudak’s cup. He said Swanson also hits him when he cries and makes him go to his room.
The child’s father provided photographs from Nov. 24 through Jan. 7. “The injuries are consistent with the injuries observed Jan. 21,” police said, and “it appears the abuse is escalating.”
The affidavit also notes police had received multiple reports of suspected child abuse involving Hudak and Swanson, beginning in November.
Case reports and photos were examined by a pediatric physician who concluded it was not possible for the child’s injuries to come from a fall or an older sibling.
“There is a course of conduct by Swanson; when the child is received by his father, there is always bruising,” the physician reported.
“Swanson has indicated she’s aware of the bruising but fails to resolve the issue. Instead, she covers it with makeup or reports it as being [from] an older sibling or falling down.”
The physician concluded that Swanson “displays a lack of protection and support for her child” while Hudak repeatedly strikes him, causing the bruising from Nov. 24 through Jan. 21.