Vanderbilt man charged with beating young children with metal bat
Two children were placed into foster care and an arrest warrant was issued for a Vanderbilt man who allegedly beat two young brothers with multiple objects, including a metal baseball bat.
Jeremy Scott Showman, 36, of Main Street is wanted on two felony counts of endangering the welfare of children and five counts of simple assault. State police issued a warrant for his arrest Tuesday following an investigation that began in January.
Police said they were contacted by Fayette County Children & Youth Services Jan. 13 following referrals through ChildLine, the state’s mandated reported line. The children, boys ages 4 and 7, were placed in foster care after social workers saw bruising on them and the boys reported Showman beat them with a metal baseball bat.
During forensic interviews, the younger boy, who is now 5, said Showman would hit both of them “on accident,” according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in the case. The 7-year-old boy said that in separate incidents, Showman had hit him with a belt, a wooden board, a metal stick and a metal baseball bat.
“During some of these incidents the child was hit so hard on the legs that he could not walk,” Trooper Jason Zanolli wrote in the affidavit. “The sibling was also hit with the metal baseball bat so hard that the child was limping and crying.”
Charges were filed before Magisterial District Judge Richard A. Kasunic II.