Man admits to assault during domestic incident

NORRISTOWN » A Norristown man is in jail awaiting his fate on charges he assaulted a woman and her child, placing the child in danger, during a domesticrelated incident in Upper Moreland.

Irvin Lamont Kent Jr., 24, of the 500 block of Cherry Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to misdemeanor charges of simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with an August 2017 incident at the victims’ Upper Moreland residence. Judge Steven T. O’Neill deferred sentencing until later this year.

Kent faces a possible maximum sentence of 3 ½ to seven years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.

The judge remanded Kent, who also listed an address along Oxford Avenue in Philadelphia, to the county jail without bail to await his sentencing hearing.

An investigation began about 12:45 p.m. Aug. 3, 2017, when Upper Moreland police responded to a residence in the 400 block of Easton Road for a report of “a physical domestic disturbance,” according to a criminal complaint. A woman told police that Kent had assaulted her and her 1-yearold son and then left the residence.

The woman reported that during an argument, Kent struck the child on the right side of his head with a Bluetooth speaker. The speaker was about 10 inches in diameter, according to the criminal complaint filed by Upper Moreland Police Officer Thomas J. Leahy.

“When (the woman) tried to prevent Irvin Kent from leaving the apartment, he pushed her. When she still would not move, he forcefully grabbed her by both of her biceps and moved her out of the way,” Leahy alleged.

Police said the woman had finger marks and scratches on her biceps, injuries consistent with Kent having grabbed her. Police said the 1-year-old child had a lump above his ear on the right side of his head.

“This lump was consistent with him being struck with something,” Leahy alleged.