Man draws jail for punching 10-year-old boy

NORRISTOWN » A Norristown man is headed to jail for punching a 10-year-old boy in his eye, chest and back while the child was in his care.

David Vernon Washington Sr., 34, of the first block of West Oak Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to nine to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the April 2017 incident.

Judge Joseph P. Walsh, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, also ordered Washington to complete three years of probation following parole, meaning Washington will be under court supervision for about five years.

The judge also ordered Washington to undergo drug, alcohol and mental health evaluations and to comply with any recommendations for treatment.

An investigation began on April 13 when the child’s mother contacted police about the assault. The boy’s mother took the child to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with a contusion to his left eye, according to the criminal complaint filed by former Norristown Detective Kathleen Kelly, who recently was promoted to a county detective.

The child told detectives and child social workers that he was in Washington’s care at a park at Cherry and Oak streets when Washington became angry about a comment the child made to another child. Washington punched the little boy in his back and his chest, according to the criminal complaint.

A short time later, Washington punched the child five times in the chest and then held the child’s head still with one hand and punched the child in his left eye with his other fist, according to the criminal complaint.

“(The victim) said he was punched so hard that he had difficulty breathing and was gasping for air,” Kelly wrote in the arrest affidavit. “(The victim) said he was scared and cried. (The victim) said it was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life.”

Washington allegedly told the little boy to tell his mother “I threw a ball in your face,” according to the criminal complaint.

By pleading guilty to simple assault, Washington admitted that he attempted to cause or intentionally or recklessly caused bodily injury to the 10-year-old boy. By pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, Washington admitted that he violated a duty of care, protection and support while supervising the welfare of a child.