Bentleyville man to face charges for alleged child abuse
PERRY TWP. — A pediatrician, who is also an expert on child abuse, testified Thursday that the level of violence she believes was used against a 2-year-old girl is “frightening.”
Southwest Regional Police allege that Joshua Tannous, 19, physically abused the children while he was employed as a babysitter in February at Matthew and Tracy Price’s home in Belle Vernon.
Magisterial District Judge Richard Kasunic II held aggravated assault and other related charges lodged against Tannous for Fayette County Court.
Dr. Jennifer Wolford testified the Prices’ 2-year-old daughter had two broken collarbones, multiple bruises and lacerations.
Wolford testified the toddler was in so much pain from her injuries to her collarbones, that she began to cry as her shirt was being taken off before she able to be examined at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. She said the girl was in such “extraordinary” pain that she wasn’t able to lift her arms.
Wolford testified that the only way she could conceive of how someone could be injured in that manner would be from a high speed car accident. Even with that hypothetical scenario, Wolford expressed doubts that a race car driver secured in a harness would have had the same injuries.
Wolford testified that during her years as a physician, she had never seen those types of injuries, and opined that the toddler victim of violent child abuse.
“The level of violence the child sustained was frankly frightening,” she said.
The criminal complaint said Tannous had been drinking the night prior to when the 6-month-old baby was taken to the hospital for examination. The Prices had left Tannous in charge of the 2-year-old while they were at the hospital.
Lt. Stephen Schwartz testified that when the 2-year-old girl didn’t go to sleep, and was screaming and crying, Tannous shook her. Schwartz testified that Tannous allegedly dropped the child before picking her and slamming her onto the bed because he was so mad.
As to the baby’s injuries, Wolford testified that the 6-month-old girl’s left leg was fractured and that a brain scan revealed abnormalities consistent with a baby who had been shaken.
Schwartz testified after the Prices went to bed, sometime in the early morning hours, Tannous heard the baby crying, so he picked up the child to feed her.
Schwartz said during the course of the investigation, Tannous allegedly told police that milk began pouring out of the child’s nose, and that she fell unconscious and stopped breathing. Tannous woke the baby’s parents and told them the 6-month-old was not breathing, he said.
Police allege that the baby’s eyes rolled back in her head between four to five times while the family was waiting for first responders to arrive.
Wolford testified that both children were victims of child abuse.
Tannous is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of children, two counts of simple assault and two counts of recklessly endangering another person. He remains free on bond.
In May, Matthew and Tracy Price appeared before Kasunic in connection with the allegations regarding the 2-year-old child. The Prices were charged with child endangerment in that matter and agreed to testify against Tannous. The couple waived the charges against them to Fayette County Court.