Parents of toddler headed to court
WAYNESBURG – The maternal grandfather of a 2-year-old Waynesburg boy told police he had had enough of his grandson being hurt, allegedly by the youngster’s parents, Brandon Litten, 22, and Nikia Harris, 23, of 798 E. Greene St.
Following testimony Thursday from police, CYS caseworkers and an early intervention caseworker, all charges against the parents were held for court.
Police have accused the couple of abusing their 2-year-old son from April to December 2014, charges arising from statements given by the baby’s maternal grandfather, Belmont Forsythe of Adah, claiming he was concerned for the child’s safety.
Forsythe testified his ex-wife, Mellany Harris Whipkey, phoned him Dec. 16 to alert him of injuries to their grandchild.
Forsythe said it was arranged for Whipkey’s husband, Dave Whipkey, to bring the boy to the Sunoco Service station in Waynesburg Borough for him to see the child before he was returned to his parents, but Forsythe called 911 before Whipkey arrived.
While Forsythe was speaking with the 911 dispatcher Waynesburg Patrolwoman Lisa Sowden arrived.
Forsythe then proceeded to relay his concerns to Sowden.
“Dave Whipkey arrived and I observed the child was disheveled and had multiple bruises all over his face. There were multiple scratches around his eyes and nose,” Sowden testified.
Sowden said she called for an on-call Children and Youth Services caseworker and EMS Southwest before taking the child to the police station.
At the station, caseworker Amber Gauthier and EMS personnel inspected the boy and found additional bruising on his body, including a hand-shaped bruise on his back, indicative of a squeeze or grab, Gauthier testified.
The child was transported to Southwest Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.
Gauthier was assigned the case in April 2014 and said at that time she noted the child was unsteady on his feet and had possible developmental delays so she referred the case for early intervention services.
“I had concerns but everything that was shown to me they had an excuse for, and he was kind of clumsy,” Gauthier said. “There was bruising on the inner ears. It was kind of concerning how he got those marks there. Nikia said he’d fallen on toys. My gut feeling was that it was something more but there was not enough at that time to prove abuse.”
CYS caseworker Contessa Wilson was assigned the case following Gauthier’s investigation in April.
“Amber had concerns that the child had some unexplained injuries at the time I got the case. I met with (the boy) and his parents and I didn’t see anything to be concerned about at that time,” Wilson said. She told the court there was adequate food, running water, etc.
Wilson said there was bruising to the child’s leg in a later visit that Harris blamed on a fall so Wilson “didn’t really have any reason for alarm.”
Wilson set up a visit with the family for Dec. 16 after she failed to find them home for an unscheduled visit. She arrived to find the child not there.
“Nikia said her son was spending time with her mother and she was taking him to see the lights at Oglebay the next day. She knew I was coming and I had Christmas presents for him and I needed to see him,” Wilson said.
A day prior to the child being taken into CYS custody on Dec. 16, the toddler’s early intervention caseworker, Amanda Dunn, also became concerned. Dunn said she made a home visit and the boy was brought downstairs in tears.
“I don’t recall who brought him downstairs. He had a gash on the left side of his mouth and bruising around it,” Dunn said. She noted Nikia acted like she did not know he had the cut. Sowden testified to statements given by both Harris and Litten and read a statement she said Litten had written and signed. She said Litten indicated he sometimes played rough with his son indicating it would make the toddler giggle.
Sowden said Harris suggested bruises to the face may have been from her squeezing him when she kissed him. The cut to the boy’s face was explained by Litten as self-inflicted by the plug on a vaporizer cord. A broken leg suffered by the child was said to have been caused by a fall from a picnic table in interviews with multiple family members, Sowden said, but hospital records indicated Harris told doctors it came from falling off his bed.