Limerick man jailed for assault of boy, 10
NORRISTOWN >> A 10-year-old Pottstown boy described a Limerick man as having “lots and lots of anger” as he strangled him while in his care and now the man is in jail for his violent conduct.
David Raymond Stephen, 39, who listed an address in the 500 block of Limerick Center Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½-to-23months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with a September 2018 disturbance at a residence along West King Street in Pottstown.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, also ordered Stephen to complete seven years’ probation
following parole, meaning Stephen will be under court supervision for about nine years.
As conditions of the sentence, Stephen was ordered to abstain from alcohol and drugs, to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation and to comply with all recommendations for treatment.
An investigation began on Sept. 14, 2018, when the victim’s mother reported to Pottstown police that Stephen assaulted the boy during a disturbance while the boy was in Stephen’s care on Sept. 13 at a West King Street residence. The child sustained a “significant bruise on his chest and neck” and was evaluated at a local hospital, according to the criminal complaint filed by Pottstown Detective Heather Long.
A witness to the assault told detectives Stephen, who according to court papers is 6-feet-1-inches tall and weighs 200 pounds, grabbed the boy by his shirt collar around his neck and then proceeded to assault the child. Detectives also interviewed the victim, who reported that Stephen strangled him.
“While briefly speaking with (the victim) he disclosed during the assault Stephen used two hands and it lasted for what seemed like forever,” Long wrote in the arrest affidavit, adding the child described having difficulty breathing and experiencing pain in his neck. “After the assault, he experienced some coughing and his voice was hoarse.
“(The victim) described Stephen’s face as ‘lots and lots of anger’ while he was strangling him,” Long added.
Detectives documented numerous bruises on the victim’s chest from shoulderto-shoulder and on his lower and upper neck, according to the criminal complaint.
By pleading guilty to simple assault, Stephen, who also listed a mailing address in the unit block of Roboda Boulevard in Upper Providence, admitted he attempted to cause or intentionally or recklessly caused bodily injury to the child.
Other charges of aggravated assault of a child, strangulation, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person were dismissed against Stephen as part of the plea agreement.