Man sentenced to house arrest for assault on child
A Vanderbilt man charged with hitting a 5-year-old boy in the head after the child did not take proper care of his hermit crab was sentenced in Fayette County Court to a year of house arrest. Judge Gerald R. Solomon sentenced Robert L. Steindl Jr., 29, on Monday to serve two years intermediate punishment, with 12 months of house arrest with electronic monitoring. In March, Steindl entered pleas to endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and harassment, leaving his sentence up to Solomon.
Connellsville police filed the charges against Steindl, claiming he also put a sponge into the boy’s mouth until he vomited. The incident occurred at 510 Highland Ave. in the city on Jan. 30, 2008. Steindl has since moved to Vanderbilt.
The boy told police what occurred after Fayette County Children and Youth Services contacted them. Officials at Zachariah Connell Elementary School notified the child welfare agency after the boy showed up to school with bruises and scratches on his face.
District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon previously said endangering the welfare of children and simple assault are each punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Attorney Patrick C. McDaniel represented Steindl. It was unclear what relationship, if any, Steindl had to the boy.