Post by Scumhunter on May 4, 2020 0:27:37 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: pennlive.com via KDKA-TV Pittsburgh, click to enlarge)
From pennlive.com:
The brutal beatings of two boys in western Pa. took place over two years, all at the hands of their father, state police say.
“I understand you’re allowed to discipline your children, it’s stated in the crime codes, however, that’s not disciplining your kids,” a Pa. state trooper is quoted as saying in the case.
Instead, it is a crime.
And now the accused dad is on the run. State police in Fayette County, Pa., are asking for the public’s help to locate and arrest him.
As KDKA-TV and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report, the suspect is identified as 37-year-old Jeremy Showman of Franklin Township, Fayette County.
Trooper Robert Broadwater tells KDKA Showman allegedly used “metal baseball bats, metal sticks, wooden boards and belts” in the assaults, allegedly beating the children so badly it was hard for them to walk.
“There was significant bruising on the children, significant signs of injury … identifiable as they were beaten, not struck, not hit, not disciplined but beaten,” Broadwater said.
Showman is being sought on felony counts of endangering the welfare of children and multiple simple assault charges in the case.
The Post-Gazette reports Fayette County Children and Youth Services alerted state police to the alleged abuse in January. At that time, the county took custody of the kids and placed them in foster care. Both boys had bruising on their bodies.
The home, where Showman lived and the beatings allegedly occurred, has seen tragedy in the past, KDKA adds. In fact, it was recently destroyed by a suspicious fire.
Before that, another of Showman’s children apparently died inside the house, KDKA writes, adding that the death ruled sudden infant death syndrome. Investigators also found deplorable conditions inside the house at the time, the station writes.
The address is very familiar with state police: “Within a two-year time period, we’ve dealt with him well over 18 times,” Broadwater told KDKA.
www.pennlive.com/crime/2020/05/pa-dad-on-the-run-after-beating-kids-ages-2-and-4-with-metal-baseball-bats-belts-and-boards-state-police.html
Thoughts? As far as I can tell, Showman is still at large as of this posting date (5/4/2020) since there have been a few articles on this case in the past few days with no updates about a capture.
Also this is the worst case of child abuse I've seen since the Greisy Valencia case on AMW (hopefully Showman will not have as lengthy a period on the run as Valencia unfortunately still has). As stated, parents have every right to discipline their kids but this goes way beyond just a belt lashing.
Also frustratingly and a pet peeve of mine since this happens often, articles are mentioning the public's help is being sought in locating Showman, yet they don't give a number to call if you have numbers on his whereabouts. I assume for now your local police or if you have an anonymous Crime Stoppers line in your area should suffice.
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