May 28, 2013 3 min read

A North Strabane Township man accused of tying a chain around the leg of his girlfriend’s 11-year-old son last week because the boy would not eat his dinner waived his case to court Tuesday.

Joshua Lee Smith, 38, waived charges of false imprisonment, simple assault and harassment after a charge of endangering the welfare of children was withdrawn. District Judge Jay Weller increased Smith’s bond to $25,000, and he was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation that will be arranged by officials at the Washington County jail.

North Strabane police were called May 20 to 100 Garden St., where Smith lived with his girlfriend. When police entered the kitchen, they said they found the boy seated at a table with a plate of food in front of him.

After Smith was taken outside, Officer Michael Miller said he saw a chain attached to the boy’s right leg, with the other end of the chain nailed to the stairs leading to the basement.

The boy told Miller he did not want to eat the food on his plate and Smith became angry. Smith directed the boy to go outside and retrieve a dog chain from the yard. When the boy came back inside, Smith allegedly nailed one end of the chain to the stairs and attached the other end to the leg of the 11-year-old, telling the boy he was not moving until he ate everything on his plate.

This is not the first time Smith has been accused of assaulting one of his girlfriend’s children.

Smith faces a July hearing before Weller on charges of endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and harassment for allegedly choking her 16-year-old daughter.

The girl told police Smith had come home intoxicated and started yelling at her. Smith allegedly tried to hit the girl in the head with a laptop computer, but her mother intervened. The 16-year-old told police Smith then grabbed her around the neck with one hand. The girl punched Smith in the head, and he then allegedly grabbed her neck with both hands.

Weller said Smith also was cited for disorderly conduct by state police at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino Feb. 10, and South Strabane Township police plan to charge him with retail theft stemming from an incident earlier this month at Walmart, Trinity Point.

If Smith is released from jail on bond, Weller told him that he is evicted from the residence at 100 Garden. He also is to have no contact with the alleged victims in either assault case.