Saltlick Twp. woman gets up to 2 years for child endangerment
A Saltlick Township woman who was convicted of endangering the welfare of her children will spend up to two years in jail, according to a sentencing order handed down in Fayette County Court.
Senior Judge Gerald R. Solomon sentenced 23-year-old Kristen Eicher to six to 12 months in jail on Thursday for each of the two infants who suffered broken bones at the hands of their father, Earl Ritenour.
The sentences are to be served consecutively.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Mehalov argued at trial earlier this month that Eicher knew the children were being abused and failed to protect them.
The infants, a boy and a girl, were born prematurely in 2011. At 7 weeks old, not long after they were released from the hospital, Eicher brought the boy to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh with a broken arm.
Dr. Jennifer E. Wolford testified she discovered more fractures in the child’s ribs.
Suspecting child abuse, Wolford said she requested the girl to be brought in for an examination as well. The girl was also suffering from bone fractures, Wolford testified.
Neither Eicher nor Ritenour could provide a valid explanation of the injuries, according to Wolford.
Eicher’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Sue Harper, argued Eicher had been diligent in making sure her babies went to well visits with the pediatrician, and that she had acted appropriately anytime her babies displayed signs of distress.
Ritenour pleaded guilty to two counts each of endangering the welfare of children and simple assault in October and is currently serving a three-to-23-month sentence.