Uniontown man charged with alleged assault of child
A Uniontown man is facing multiple charges after a Uniontown police officer said he watched the man repeatedly “flick” a 7-year-old boy in the face Monday afternoon.
Capt. David J. Rutter said he was sitting in an unmarked police car on Evergreen Terrace shortly after 3 p.m. when he saw the suspect, later identified as Donald Lee Painter, holding onto a young boy and repeatedly using his fingers to flick the child’s face.
“I could hear the sound of the flicking while I was seated in the police car,” Rutter said. “Then I saw them about 50 feet away and I saw the marks on the boy’s face and saw that he was crying and I ran to his aid.”
Rutter noted that the man flicked the child about five more times before being able to intercede on the child’s behalf and then called for other officers to respond to the scene.
“I really couldn’t believe it,” Rutter said. “He was just flicking him and flicking him around the eyes. It was bad.”
Officer Kurtis Defoor said as a result of the incident, Painter, 27, of Apartment 404, 177 W. Main St., was charged before Magisterial District Judge Michael M. Metros with endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault, harassment and two drug-related charges.
Defoor said that he observed as many as 20 welts on the child’s face when police examined him at the station.
He said that Fayette County Children and Youth Services were called and participated in the investigation.
Painter initially told Rutter that he was “playing around” but later admitted that he was “correcting” the boy by “flicking him in the face” for getting into trouble on the school bus.
Defoor noted that the drug charges were filed after police found illegal drugs in his pockets.
Painter was placed in Fayette County Prison on 10 percent of $10,000 straight cash bond following his arraignment.
A preliminary hearing will be held at a later date before Metros.