Hearing Set for Tuesday for Brookville Man Accused of Abusing 13-Month-Old Child

BROOKVILLE BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) – A Brookville man who is accused of assaulting and injuring a 13-month-old child is facing a hearing in court on Tuesday.

Court documents indicate 26-year-old Brandon Corey Motter is scheduled to stand for a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Gregory M. Bazylak at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 10.

He faces the following charges:

– Aggravated Assault – Victim Less Than 13 and Defendant 18 or older, Felony 1 (two counts)
– Aggravated Assault – Victim Less Than 6 and Defendant 18 or older, Felony 2 (two counts)
– Endangering Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Misdemeanor 1
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 1
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– Harassment – Subject Other to Physical Contact, Summary (three counts)

Motter is currently lodged in the Jefferson County Jail on $50,000.00 monetary bail.

The charges stem from an investigation into a report of possible child abuse.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, on Monday, February 10, Officer Stormer, of the Brookville Borough Police Department, was assigned to investigate a report of child abuse. Chief Vince Markle provided Officer Stormer with information that on February 6, he and Officer Steele were sent to Penn Highlands Brookville Hospital after receiving a report of suspected child abuse through Jefferson County Children and Youth Services (CYS).

At the hospital, the officers met with the juvenile victim and the victim’s mother, who had brought the child to the hospital after she discovered bruising and bleeding around the child’s genitals.

Chief Markle Observes Bruises on Toddler

According to the complaint, Chief Markle met with the child and observed bruising around the child’s ears. The injuries were then photographed by a CYS worker who also photographed other injuries that were discovered by medical personnel at the hospital. The injuries photographed included a bruise to the right eyelid, deep purple bruising on his entire left ear, deep purple bruises on his right ear including bruising around the skin on the head directly behind the ear, a bruised right hand between the thumb and first finger (on both the top and bottom of the hand), bruising on his pubic area directly above his genitals, bruising on his genitals, and what appeared to be hand prints on his buttocks. The hand prints were consistent with an adult-sized hand slapping on the child’s buttocks.

Chief Markle Interviews Toddler’s Mother

Chief Markle also interviewed the juvenile’s mother at the Brookville Police Department on February 6, and the interview was video recorded. During the interview, the victim’s mother states she was working a 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift at her place of employment on February 5 while her live-in boyfriend, Brandon Motter, was at home with the juvenile victim, at their residence in Brookville Borough.

She reported that she came home around 7:00 p.m. on her break from work to see her child and did not see any bruising or injuries to the child at that time. She noted when she returned home again around 11:30 p.m., she got into a verbal altercation with Motter over neglect of household chores and noted she checked on her child, but only looked into the child’s room and didn’t touch the child until around 10:00 a.m. the following day, the complaint indicates.

The victim’s mother told police she discovered the injuries around 10:00 a.m. on February 6, when she went to change the child’s diaper. She then contacted her mother and tried to make a doctor’s appointment because she saw bleeding from the victim’s genitals. She was then directed by her doctor to take the victim to the nearest emergency room for treatment, which she did.

When asked about how the victim was injured, she noted the victim could not walk on his own yet, and he might have been hurt when coming in contact with his toys. She also stated that she was not the person who caused these injuries and said that Motter would be the only person that could have, the complaint states.

Chief Markle Interviews Motter

Motter was interviewed by Chief Markle around 5:25 p.m. on February 6.

According to the complaint, Motter said he was alone with the victim from approximately 12:40 p.m. on February 5 until approximately 7:00 p.m. when the victim’s mother came home briefly. He said once she returned to work, he was the only person around the victim until she returned from work around 11:30 p.m. He noted only his father came to the residence during his time with the victim, and his father only dropped off food and did not come inside.

According to the complaint, Motter said during his time of being in direct care of the victim, he laid the victim down for bed around 5:00 p.m., and the victim then returned to bed after his mother’s break from work was over until approximately 10:00 a.m. the next day. He said the victim’s mother then went to change the victim at that time and “was in a panic and yelling” because she discovered bruises all over the victim and some bleeding from his genitals.

The complaint states after further questioning, Motter stated he “accidentally dropped” the victim while holding him when he attempted to reach down and pick up a sippy cup that had fallen on the floor.

Chief Markle then challenged Motter’s explanation, and Motter stated, “I just went like” and made a slapping motion. Motter then said the child kept crying, so he slapped the child and grabbed the child by his head to get him to stop crying. He demonstrated how he grabbed the child with both hands coming together, which the complaint notes may have been the reason for the bruising on and around the victim’s ears.

When asked what happened to the victim’s groin area, Motter stated the only explanation he could provide was that the child might have “slammed himself down in his high chair seat” and explained the child would try to stand up in his high chair and would then kick his heels downward, forcing himself to hit the seat in a rough manner. Motter then went on to blame the front protection device and safety belt of the high chair for the injuries to the victim’s groin area, according to the complaint.

The complaint notes Motter offered no explanation for the child having hand prints on his buttocks and justified the victim’s further injuries as being self-inflicted by “rolling around on his toys” in his play area. Motter also allegedly stated he believed the child’s eye was injured by the child pulling books off of a shelf during a time recent to the investigation.

When asked what caused him to strike the victim, Motter answered, “his screaming.” He also allegedly said he felt anxious about it, like he had “done something wrong,” and said he “felt like a horrible person,” according to the complaint.

Officer Stormer Obtains ER Records of Toddler’s Injuries

Officer Stormer was provided with a copy of the Emergency Room doctor’s notes on the victim’s condition. The documentation noted the victim had bruising on his ears and hands for which no medical cause was found, as well as bruising to his genitals and his eye.

The complaint notes the victim, who is only 13 months old, cannot speak out about the abuse. It also notes that both Motter and the victim’s mother admitted to leaving the child alone in his bedding area for approximately 10 hours with no food, water, diaper changing, or other direct means of care.

According to the complaint, Motter had direct knowledge of the possible injuries to the victim and did not report or seek advice or treatment for the victim while the victim was under his direct care.

Motter was arraigned in front of Judge Bazylak at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, February 10.


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