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Trial begins for Bentleyville man accused of child abuse

By Susy Kelly skelly@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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Testimony began in Fayette County Court on Monday in the trial of a Bentleyville man accused of abusing two children in his care in February 2014.

Joshua Tannous, 19, faces two counts each of aggravated assault, child endangerment, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Tracy Price, 24, testified she and her husband, 22-year-old Matthew Price, were living in Belle Vernon in early 2014, and Tannous, who was their friend, was staying with them and sleeping on their couch.

Tracy Price told jurors Tannous would occasionally care for the couple’s two daughters, who were 2 years old and 6 months old at the time. On the evening of Feb. 3, 2014, she said everything was normal, until Tannous woke her and her husband to say something was wrong with the baby.

“The next thing I remember is him screaming, ‘Oh my god, oh my god, she’s not breathing,'” Tracy Price told the court.

Tannous related he was feeding the baby, and she choked on the milk, which caused her to stop breathing, Tracy Price testified.

She called 911 while Matthew Price attempted emergency measures and got their daughter to breathe again, she said.

The baby was taken to Mon Valley Hospital and then transferred to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, Tracy Price said.

Matthew Price took the couple’s 2-year-old to his grandparents’ house, Tracy Price testified, while he came to the hospital to be with her and the baby. After examining the baby and discussing the incident with Tracy Price, doctors requested that the 2-year-old be brought in for an exam too.

“They instantly noticed that her chest was bruised and significantly swollen,” said Tracy Price. The baby was cleared and released that day, and the 2-year-old was admitted for treatment, she said.

According to testimony from the preliminary hearing, the child suffered two broken collarbones, multiple bruises and lacerations.

Matthew Price also took the stand and, under questioning from Assistant District Attorney Mark Mehalov, admitted he waited to take the 2-year-old to the hospital until physicians there “demanded” to see the child.

Matthew Price said he didn’t take the 2-year-old to the hospital immediately because he didn’t know her injuries were so severe and because he was afraid of the children being taken by Children and Youth Services if authorities learned of his drug use.

He also admitted he and Tracy Price were charged with child endangerment as well, but said there was no plea offer in place for his testimony against Tannous.

“Why are you testifying?” Mehalov asked.

“Because I love my kids,” Matthew Price replied.

Attorney Anthony Bompiani, who represents Tannous, stated to jurors in his opening statement, “Mr. Tannous did not cause the injuries suffered by these two girls.”

“This was a cover up by the parents,” said Bompiani. “This is a situation where the parents immediately placed blame with Mr. Tannous.”

Testimony will continue at 9 a.m. before Judge Nancy D. Vernon.

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