CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man will be spending up to seven years in state prison for assaulting a 16-month-old child.
Jeremy Michael Sipe, 45, was convicted of felony endangering the welfare of a child and misdemeanor simple assault after a two-day trial in January.
The charges stem from an incident on July 15, 2022, at a home in Goshen Township.
The criminal complaint details how police were contacted after the child was taken to Penn Highlands Clearfield. Initially the story was the child had fallen over a baby gate.
Later a report from the UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh indicated the child had “numerous bruises on the left side of the head and face.”
The bruises extended up into his hairline past the left temple and above his ear. His lips had some swelling and bruising.
“These bruises are most consistent with inflicted trauma to the face, possibly a hand slap. This is diagnostic of physical child abuse,” according to the report, and it went on to state “if this child returns to this same environment without intervention, he is at serious risk for continued abuse and life-threatening injury.”
Judge Paul E. Cherry sentenced him on Tuesday to serve a total of 33 months to seven years in state prison. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, when investigators spoke with the mother about the incident, she said that Sipe was in her home with the child while she was outside looking for her dog.
When she got back inside, she saw him outside walking with the baby up the hill. She yelled for him to bring the baby back, but he acted like he didn’t hear her.
Eventually he went back into the house where she met him in the kitchen.
The child was fussing, she said, and when she looked at him, she could see he was injured. She asked Sipe what happened to the boy, and he claimed he tripped over the baby gate.
She didn’t believe him and asked what he did to the child’s face. He responded that he “wasn’t dealing with this and left,” she said.
For a complete report of the trial, click here.