CLEARFIELD – A Houtzdale couple accused of abusing their adopted children was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Wednesday during centralized court.
John Anthony Ciavatta, 54, and Charity Ann Ciavatta, 49, are each charged with 30 felony counts of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children, 30 misdemeanor counts of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, as well as 30 summary counts of harassment. John Ciavatta is also charged with two felony counts of corruption of minors and two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault-person less than 16 years old.
After a preliminary hearing, District Judge Richard Ireland ruled that all charges be sent on to the county court for further disposition. John Ciavatta’s bail is set at $100,000, unsecured and Charity Ciavatta’s bail is $50,000, unsecured.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the investigation began on Nov. 3 after police were called to a Houtzdale residence regarding a report that three juvenile females were being physically abused by their adoptive parents.
When questioned, they stated that the couple would use belts and a broken chair leg to strike them when they disciplined them.
John Ciavatta was asked about the accusations and police say he admitted he used those items as punishment for their defiance. He stated the punishment happens once a week.
In an interview at the Clearfield County Child Advocacy Center, the oldest girl said the abuse had been going on for seven years. She claimed they sometimes did not feed her, leaving her without food for as long as 36 hours.
This victim said John Ciavatta hit her back with a belt, beating her every day, usually because she had not completed her homework. Another time he hit her rear end with the chair leg, seven times.
She related that he had also sexually assaulted her, by tickling and touching her private area, grabbing her behind and touching her breasts. He warned her not to tell her mother about it. Other times she said he would get on the ground and he would get on top of her and “squirm around.”
“She related he would hold her down and move around like a worm,” it says in the criminal complaint.
This victim said she wrote an escape plan when her sister was getting beaten by a belt.
“She related that she couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to get out. She related she does not feel safe while at home with her parents,” police noted in the report.
An official photographed the bruising and marks on her back as evidence.
The second victim told a similar story of beatings with a belt and chair leg and claimed she had been sexually assaulted. She stated she was sleeping when she woke to find herself under a man who was having sex with her.
She disclosed that one time when he beat her with the chair leg, she felt like her arm was broken. She said sometimes he hits the bottoms of her feet, making it painful to walk. This victim also said she doesn’t eat much.
The third victim confirmed the others’ stories adding she also was beaten by a wooden stick and a belt. On one occasion her legs were bleeding from a beating by the belts, she said.
As with the others, she said she gets hit with a belt almost every day. She also stated that she doesn’t get the right amount of food daily, and sometimes doesn’t eat at all.
When troopers arrived at the home, John Ciavatta told her to lie about what he had been doing to her, she reported.
All three victims were evaluated and examined by a doctor. This physician also reviewed photos of the girls’ injuries. She said all three were below the standard growth percentile for their age.
Police found two broken wooden chair legs and two black bets at the house which they seized and placed into evidence.
