May 25, 2010 By Josh Krysak 3 min read

State police have filed additional charges against a man accused of assaulting a 19-month-old girl at a home in Brownsville on multiple occasions between April 29 and May 15. Trooper James W. Petrosky said Emery William Gibson, 21, of Brownsville was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering the welfare of a child May 16.

On Monday, Petroksy filed additional charges against Gibson before Magisterial District Judge Mike Defino Jr., including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child causing serious bodily injury and four counts of aggravated indecent assault.

A preliminary hearing that had been scheduled for Monday afternoon for Gibson was continued after Petrosky filed the new charges.

Petrosky said the initial charges were filed against Gibson after he beat the toddler on at least two separate occasions at a home on High Street.

According to Petrosky, the toddler was taken to Uniontown Hospital on Saturday and was then transferred to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment of extensive injuries.

Petrosky said the toddler suffered severe bruising and bleeding.

Petrosky said police were notified of the toddler’s condition and questioned Gibson about the child’s injuries.

Gibson confessed to beating the toddler on Saturday and on April 29, Petrosky said.

“The accused was interviewed and confessed to repeatedly striking the victim on three separate occasions on May 15 because she was misbehaving,” Petrosky said.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, the toddler suffered a “significant amount of bruising” to her buttocks, thighs and genital area as a result of Saturday’s beating.

Gibson told police the toddler was lying down with her legs in the air as he was changing her diaper and that the girl accidentally kicked him in the groin.

The complaint stated that Gibson confessed to hitting the toddler four times with the heel of his hand and that he meant to strike her buttocks but may have hit her genital area.

Gibson allegedly told police he thought he may have hit the girl “pretty hard for her size” and that he saw she was bleeding, the complaint stated.

In addition, Petrosky said Gibson confessed to hitting the toddler on the head and face on April 29, which also caused the girl to suffer injuries.

In an amended complaint filed Monday, Petrosky said that Dr. Monique Higginbotham of Children’s Hospital told investigators that she and another doctor determined that the toddler also had been sexually assaulted.

Gibson remains in the Fayette County Prison on $75,000 straight cash bond.

A preliminary hearing for Gibson will be held June 14 before Defino.