PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Collingdale man is facing charges in Montgomery County, accused of brutally abusing his girlfriend’s 6-year-old son.
Steven Dougherty, 31, is charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child, accused of repeatedly beating the 6-year-old and smearing feces in his face.
On Nov. 19, 2021, the boy ended up in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with 14 broken ribs and injuries to his genitals, abdomen, chest, face, arms and legs.
One day earlier, the boy was in school with a missing tooth and a bruise on his face. He was crying in the bathroom. A teacher’s aide went in to help him, as he had pain in his groin so severe that he had to be carried to the nurse’s office.
The school contacted authorities. Police say the aide told them “there are no words” to describe the injuries to the boy's genitals.
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That aide sat with the boy in the office. She says the boy wouldn’t say what happened because bad things would happen not only to him, but also to his dog.
According to court documents, on Nov. 16, a woman called police when the boy climbed into her car and hid while she was getting gas in Tredyffrin Township. She says he told her Dougherty was trying to cut off his genitals and kill him.
Police say Dougherty climbed into the car, grabbed the boy over the console and pulled him out of the car.
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In June 2021, the boy's grandparents brought him to CHOP over concerns about diarrhea and vomiting, prosecutors said.
The boy had said Dougherty smeared fecal matter on him, but his mother said the boy may have unintentionally had fecal matter put on his face from a towel, according to authorities.
Prosecutors said his grandparents also contacted police on Oct. 28 after they saw marks on the boy's face, and the boy said Dougherty attempted to drown him.
The boy has been living with family members since November. His mother and “any recent past caregivers” are prohibited from having any contact with him.
Dougherty is free after he posted $10,000.
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