Local Couple Charged After Juvenile Allegedly Abused with Belt, Kicked Due in Court on Wednesday
VENANGO CO., Pa. (EYT) – Hearings are scheduled for Wednesday morning for a Franklin couple charged with child endangerment after a juvenile was allegedly abused with a belt and kicked.
According to court documents, preliminary hearings for 45-year-old Peter Andrew Turner and 31-year-old Audrey Turner, both of Franklin, are set for Wednesday, September 20, at 8:30 a.m. in Venango County Central Court with Magisterial District Judge Andrew F. Fish presiding.
Both individuals are facing the following charges:
– Endangering Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Misdemeanor 1
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 1
Details of the case:
According to a criminal complaint, on July 10, a representative from CYS told police that he spoke with a known juvenile who had allegedly been hit with a belt by his mother, Audrey Turner, and kicked by his stepfather, Peter Turner.
Initial photos provided by CYS revealed that the juvenile appeared to have a straight-line bruise which corroborated the juvenile’s statement about being hit with a belt by his mother. Additional bruising was also present in the same area.
The victim also reported being kicked by Peter Turner in the same area as the belt.
A CYS representative stated that they had received pictures from a “reporting source” on the day of the alleged occurrence.
Audrey Turner completed a written statement in which she stated she gave the juvenile “smacks on the bum” as a form of punishment.
Peter Turner also completed a written statement. In it, he wrote that he kicked the victim twice for “throwing a cat,” and that he kicked him twice because the first kick missed.
A medical report from UPMC Chlldren’s advised that the juvenile’s injuries are diagnostic of physical abuse and that the injury caused substantial pain at the time it occurred.
The report also went on to say that if the victim was to return to the same environment without change, he is at great risk of further injury.
Charges against the couple were filed on August 15.
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