Pottsville man charged in assault of infant
PORT CARBON – A Pottsville man is facing aggravated assault and child endangerment charges after police say he seriously injured an infant last September.
Troopers from the Schuylkill Haven barracks arrested Patrick Curran, 26, of Pottsville on Tuesday and charged with two counts of felony Aggravated Assault, one count of felony Child Endangerment, one count of misdemeanor Simple Assault, one count of misdemeanor Reckless Endangerement, and one count of summary Harassment.
The charges stem from an incident between 5:00pm Sept. 25 and 1:30am Sept. 26, 2020 at 427 2nd Street in Port Carbon.
That day, an 11-month-old boy was flown via MedEvac to Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cedar Crest in Lehigh County for treatment of injuries reportedly received from falling off a bed.
On the morning of Sept. 26, he had several brain bleeds, bruising, retinal hemorrhaging, and abrasions when he arrived in Lehigh County.
Prior to suffering the injuries, he was home with his mother’s boyfriend, Curran.
At Lehigh Valley Hospital, the child was evaluated by Child Protective Medical Physicians who evaluated the child when he arrived and following treatment for life-threating injuries.
They concluded that the injuries could not have been sustained from a short fall from a bed.
Troopers were told that the child “had to have been subjected to violent, adult force/shaking to have sustained the severe brain injury that was present.”
They added that they believe the injuries will cause long-term physical, cognitive, developmental, and behavioral consequences.
As a result, Trooper Tyler Brackman of PSP-Schuylkill Haven’s Criminal Investigation Unit filed charges against Curran.
He was taken into custody Tuesday and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge David Plachko, and bail was set at $50,000.
Unable to post bail, Curran was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison.
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