By Jacob Deemer
BROOKVILLE BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) – A Brookville man is behind bars for allegedly physically assaulting a 16-month-old child that he was babysitting.
Court documents indicate the Brookville Borough Police Department filed criminal charges against 26-year-old Matthew E. Witherite, of Brookville, on Wednesday, March 29, at Magisterial District Judge Gregory M. Bazylak’s office.
According to a criminal complaint, the incidents occurred between the dates of March 14, 2023, and March 27, 2023, at a residence along Madison Avenue in Brookville Borough, Jefferson County.
The investigation began on March 27, around 11:13 p.m., when authorities received a call from the Penn Highlands DuBois Emergency Room about a possible child abuse incident.
A Penn Highlands employee told the police that a child, approximately 16 months old, with multiple bruises and marks on his body, was brought to the ER by his mother, at approximately 9:50 p.m.
Victim’s Mother Interviewed
According to the criminal complaint, police spoke with the child’s mother at the hospital. She told police that she dropped her son off at her sister’s house on March 14, and when she later stopped to visit, she noticed some minor bruises.
She further explained that her sister and her sister’s boyfriend were watching her son while she was working for a few days.
She did not visit her son again until the evening of March 26 and saw additional bruises.
On March 27 around 11:00 a.m., she picked up her son and “observed extensive bruises in various stages of healing and immediately contacted ChildLine,” according to the criminal complaint.
When she asked her sister about the bruises, her sister said that Witherite told her that he hit the victim “3 to 4 times but didn’t think he hurt the victim.”
According to the criminal complaint, she then took her son to her uncle’s residence.
She did not take her son for medical evaluation until March 27 at approximately 9:50 p.m.
Police photographed the victim and documented the following injuries:
- Photograph of right temple with bruising
- Right shoulder area with bruising
- Left rear shoulder with fresh bruising
- Back with bruising at the diaper/waistline
- Front left side bruising at diaper/waistline
- Right front leg with bruising
- Right buttock with dark multiple bruises, making one large bruise
- Buttock showing bruises continuing to the left side
- Top of left side of head with mark that may be a possible skin rash
- Top of left side of head with mark that may be a possible skin rash
- Left side/rear of head showing bruising
- Left side of temple showing bruising
- Mark on the inside of right leg just under the diaper line
- Mark on the inside of right leg just under the diaper line
- Front view of the victim
Victim’s Aunt Interviewed
On March 28, the victim’s aunt was interviewed at the Brookville Borough Police Station.
According to the criminal complaint, she told police that she and her boyfriend (Witherite), along with the child’s great-grandfather, were babysitting her sister’s children while she was at work. She said that they were babysitting because the child’s father is in jail and her sister just started a new job.
She told police that she did not physically discipline the victim, but said that she found bruising on the victim’s buttocks the morning after it happened and confronted Witherite about it. She said that she told Witherite “not to put his hands on the victim.”
She also said that “the marks on the side of the victim’s head were from a fall into a bed frame that she witnessed, and the bruising on the victim’s buttocks were from Witherite.”
According to the criminal complaint, she said Witherite told her that he struck the victim three to four times.
Victim’s Great-Grandfather Interviewed
On March 28, the victim’s great-grandfather was interviewed at the Brookville Borough Police Department.
According to the criminal complaint, When asked if he ever witnessed Witherite discipline the victim, he said “no.”
He said that he was unaware of the alleged abuse and just found out about the bruising earlier that day.
Witherite Interviewed, Arrested
The criminal complaint states that Witherite was interviewed at the Brookville Borough Police Department on March 28.
When asked if he disciplined the victim, he said he would “swat the victim on the hand if he does something bad and would pat his butt, but not hit the victim like a man.”
itherite told the police that he is “a very patient person” and that he struck the victim on the butt two to three times.
Witherite confirmed that his girlfriend never physically disciplined the victim.
According to the criminal complaint, Witherite told the police that the bruising on the victim’s buttocks was from when the victim attempted to throw a toy at another child.
Witherite told the police that “he didn’t mean to hurt the victim.” He also said that “he reacted to the victim attempting to throw the toy and just reacted and struck the victim,” according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint states that Witherite said the incident(s) happened on or around March 21 and he “felt bad for bruising the victim.”
Witherite said his girlfriend “found the bruising the next day and told him that it was unnecessary for him to strike the victim that hard.”
According to the criminal complaint, Witherite said he knew that he had struck the victim too hard after he saw the bruising the next day.
Witherite was arraigned by Judge Bazylak at 10:57 a.m. on Wednesday, March 29, on the following charges:
- Aggravated Assault – Victim Less Than 6 and Defendant 18 or older, Felony 2 (four counts)
- Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 1 (four counts)
- Endangering Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Felony 2 (four counts)
- Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2 (four counts)
- Harassment – Subject Other to Physical Contact, Summary (four counts)
Unable to post $200,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Jefferson County Jail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, at 2:00 p.m. with Judge Bazylak presiding.