"John" BECK - 19 months - / Charged: Mother Stephanie Leigh Beck and boyfriend Peter Vincent Clark - Upper Pottsgrove PA

Couple charged for alleged abuse of toddler and girl

By Brandie Kessler

Friday, January 27,2012

Stephanie Leigh Beck and Peter Vincent Clark

UPPER POTTSGROVE — An Upper Pottsgrove woman and her boyfriend have been charged with endangering the welfare of children and other offenses after the woman’s 19-month-old son was found to have a fractured skull.

Stephanie Leigh Beck, 26, of 1434 Farmington Ave., and Peter Vincent Clark, 29, of 8911 Alton St., Philadelphia, were arrested after police were notified of the potential abuse by the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth.

Upper Pottsgrove Township Officer Albert Werner, who investigated the incident, went to speak with Beck at her Farmington Avenue residence on Jan. 10 after seeing photographs of the 19-month-old that showed “severe bruising” to his head and face, according to the arrest affidavit. When Werner questioned Beck about the bruising on the toddler’s body, she said, “I have clumsy kids, they fall.” Beck told police the child fell off the steps and onto a toy train.

After observing additional bruising on the toddler’s body the day Werner went to question Beck, both the toddler and Beck’s 7-year-old daughter were removed from her custody and placed in the care of Montgomery County Children and Youth Services and taken to the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania for medical evaluations, according to the arrest affidavit. The exam revealed that the toddler had suffered a fractured arm, a fractured skull and bleeding to his brain. The 7-year-old girl was clear of any physical injuries and was interviewed at Mission Kids, which is a nonprofit created by the collaborative effort of the Montgomery County District Attorney, the Police Chiefs of Montgomery County, and the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth to stop the life cycle of abuse and improve the outcomes for abused children and their families.

The girl told investigators her mother’s boyfriend, Clark, physically abused her toddler brother, including putting his hand over the toddler’s mouth “until it gets bloody.” The girl also said Clark “chokes, kicks and puts his hand over” the toddler’s mouth, and that Clark did this to her brother in her mother’s presence. The girl said Clark had “taped my baby brother’s mouth shut and his hands and feet together and was hanging him upside down” while the toddler screamed. She said Clark had “thrown” the toddler across the room “where he hit a glass table and it broke, we had to get a new one. Additionally, the girl said, her mother “doesn’t care. She just sits and watches TV” when the alleged abuse occurs.

The girl also told investigators that Clark had put his hands over her mouth and nose “and I couldn’t breathe.”

Police spoke with witnesses who observed bruising on the toddler after Beck took the children to Clark’s house for Thanksgiving. One of the witnesses told investigators that they questioned Beck about the bruising and injuries they saw the toddler had suffered and afterward Beck prevented that person from seeing the children.

Beck was charged with two counts of third-degree felony endangering the welfare of children. She was arraigned by District Judge Scott T. Palladino on Jan. 23 and incarcerated in Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 cash bail pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 7 before Judge Palladino.

Clark was arraigned Jan. 24 by Judge Palladino on charges of first-degree felony aggravated assault, and multiple counts of first-degree misdemeanor counts of simple assault of a victim under 12 years old. Clark was incarcerated in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 cash bail set by Judge Palladino pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Feb. 7.

http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120127/NEWS01/120129566/-1/NEWS

Upper Pottsgrove woman, boyfriend held on child abuse charges (video)

By Brandie Kessler
Wednesday, February 8,2012

POTTSTOWN — An Upper Pottsgrove woman and her boyfriend will go to trial after witnesses testified about injuries they observed on the woman’s 19-month-old son, including bruising to the toddler’s face that was “purple and yellow and black and green.”

Stephanie Leigh Beck, an Upper Pottsgrove resident, and her boyfriend, Peter Vincent Clark, have been charged with endangering the welfare of children and other offenses after the woman’s 19-month-old son was found to have a fractured skull.

Beck, 27, of 1434 Farmington Ave., and Clark, 29, of Philadelphia, were arrested after police were notified of the potential abuse by the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth. The pair had their preliminary hearings Tuesday before District Judge Scott T. Palladino.

During testimony, a witness explained she was concerned with some marks she had seen on Beck’s 19-month-old son during the fall of 2011. The witness testified Beck had started dating Clark, who lived in Philadelphia, but stayed with Beck sometimes and sometimes Beck stayed with him in Philadelphia. The witness testified she saw bruising on the toddler, including black eyes, on several occasions when she went to visit Beck. The witness testified she asked Beck what happened and Beck first told her the child fell out of a crib. On another occasion, upon seeing the toddler had suffered a black eye to his other eye, the witness asked Beck what happened and Beck said the toddler fell out of a playpen and landed on a toy.

On another occasion after Christmas, the witness testified, she stopped by to see the toddler and his 7-year-old sister and saw the toddler had bruising to his face.

“The left side of his face was purple and yellow and black and green,” she said in testimony.

When the witness asked Beck what happened, Beck said the toddler fell off the steps and landed on a toy. The witness testified that after some consideration, she realized the injuries to the toddler were suspicious and decided to talk to Beck about them. The witness testified that she told Beck if anything was happening that was endangering the toddler or her, the witness would help her get the help she needed. Beck declined the help and maintained the story she gave about the toddler falling.

Upper Pottsgrove Township Officer Albert Werner, who investigated the incident, testified that he accompanied representatives from the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth to Beck’s residence on Jan. 10 after they received a report of suspected abuse. Werner said he took emergency custody of Beck’s toddler son and then went to the school Beck’s daughter attends and took her into emergency custody, too.

A representative from the county’s children and youth office testified Tuesday that when she made contact with Beck on Jan. 10, the toddler was home. The staff person testified that she observed “new bruising” on the toddler. When the staff person asked Beck what happened to cause the injuries, “she said her kids are clumsy,” the staff person testified. Additionally, Beck said she took the child to a Pottstown doctor, but Beck could not provide any paperwork to prove it, and she also could not provide a location of the doctor’s office. “At that point, we felt we needed to take further action,” the staff person testified.

The staff person testified that both the toddler and the 7-year-old girl were transported to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for a medical evaluation. The evaluation concluded the 7-year-old had no injuries; however, the toddler, according to the medical evaluation and testing, had injurie “highly suspicious of physical abuse.” The injuries, as confirmed by a skeletal survey and an MRI, included a fractured skull, a fractured arm and a brain bleed, in addition to other bruising and cuts.

Officer Werner testified that he was present when the 7-year-old was interviewed by Mission Kids, a nonprofit created by the collaborative effort of the Montgomery County District Attorney, the Police Chiefs of Montgomery County, and the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth to help abused children and their families.

Werner testified that the girl explained how she had witnessed her baby brother be abused by Clark while her mother “watches TV.” The girl explained how Clark had put his hands over the toddler’s mouth “until he bleeds,” and had thrown the child around and taped his limbs. Additionally, the 7-year-old said Clark had put his hands over her nose and mouth until she couldn’t breathe. She also said the alleged abuse had occurred at her mother’s residence, in the car and at Clark’s Philadelphia residence.

Although both attorneys for Clark and Beck asked that all charges against them be dropped, given no testimony “directly” linked them with the alleged abuse, Judge Palladino sided with the commonwealth and held all charges over.

Both defense attorneys argued for bail reduction.

Assistant District Attorney Samantha Cauffman argued against the bail reduction, citing that Beck had sent text messages to a family member indicating she would go “far, far away,” and Beck, therefore, may be a flight risk.

Cauffman argued that Clark has a criminal history and a bail reduction would also not be appropriate.

Cauffman also asked for a no contact condition of bail that neither Beck nor Clark have any contact with the children. Cauffman said even supervised visitation could taint the case given that children, “just like dogs, they love their mother no matter how much they get beaten down.”

Beck was remitted to Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 cash bail and Clark was remitted in lieu of $100,000 cash bail pending further court action.

Follow Brandie Kessler on Twitter

http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120208/NEWS01/120209547/17/sports/upper-pottsgrove-woman-boyfriend-held-on-child-abuse-charges-%28video%29

Mom sentenced for turning blind eye to abuse of child

By Carl Hessler Jr.

Tuesday, August 14,2012

NORRISTOWN – An Upper Pottsgrove woman accused of “turning the other cheek” to the physical abuse suffered by her toddler son, allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend, will be under court supervision for nearly six years.

Stephanie Leigh Beck, 27, of the 1400 block of Farmington Avenue, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Tuesday to nine to 23 months in the county jail, to be followed by four years’ probation, after she pleaded guilty to a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children in connection with incidents that occurred between November 2011 and January 2012.

With the charges, authorities alleged Beck turned a blind eye to the physical abuse suffered by her 19-month-old son, allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend at the time, Peter Vincent Clark. The little boy suffered a skull fracture and various bruises, authorities alleged, during incidents that were witnessed by Beck’s 7-year-old daughter. Prosecutors alleged Beck endangered both children through her conduct.

“She allowed that to happen and never took the child for help. She had a duty to protect these children and obviously that duty was the furthest thing from her mind,” alleged Assistant District Attorney Samantha Cauffman, who sought jail time against Beck.

“She was charged with knowing the abuse was happening and turning the other cheek,” Cauffman said.

Clark, 29, of Philadelphia, is still awaiting trial on charges of aggravated and simple assault and endangering the welfare of children in connection with the incidents.

By keeping silent about the physical abuse suffered by the toddler, Beck, prosecutors alleged, allowed more abuse to occur.

“This was not just one hit. This was multiple hits, multiple periods of physical abuse that were ignored, that were just allowed to happen,” Cauffman alleged.

“When you are in the position where a young child depends on you, that’s a big responsibility, and to just throw that aside like this woman did, is atrocious,” said Cauffman. She added Beck violated a duty to keep the children healthy and out of danger. “She ignored all those responsibilities in so many ways.”

Senior Judge S. Gerald Corso, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Beck to complete parenting classes and to have no contact, either directly or indirectly, with the children until after Clark’s case is resolved. Beck, who was represented by defense lawyer Sharon Meisler, also is prohibited from having any contact with Clark as a condition of the sentence.

An investigation began in January when Upper Pottsgrove police were notified of the potential abuse by a caseworker from the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth Services.

Upper Pottsgrove Police Officer Albert Werner, who investigated the incident, went to speak with Beck at her Farmington Avenue residence on Jan. 10 after seeing photographs of the 19-month-old that showed “severe bruising” to his head and face, according to the arrest affidavit. When Werner questioned Beck about the bruising on the toddler’s body, she said, “I have clumsy kids, they fall.” Beck told police the child fell off the steps and onto a toy train.

After observing additional bruising on the toddler’s body the day Werner went to question Beck, both the toddler and Beck’s 7-year-old daughter were removed from her custody, placed in the care of county social workers and taken to The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania for medical evaluations, according to the arrest affidavit.

The exam revealed that the toddler had suffered a fractured arm, a fractured skull and bleeding to his brain. The 7-year-old girl was clear of any physical injuries but told investigators her mother’s boyfriend, Clark, physically abused her toddler brother, including putting his hand over the toddler’s mouth “until it gets bloody.” The girl also said Clark “chokes, kicks and puts his hand over” the toddler’s mouth, and that Clark did this to her brother in her mother’s presence, according to the criminal complaint.

The girl told investigators Clark had “taped my baby brother’s mouth shut and his hands and feet together and was hanging him upside down” while the toddler screamed. She said Clark had “thrown” the toddler across the room “where he hit a glass table and it broke,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Additionally, the girl said, her mother “doesn’t care. She just sits and watches TV” when the abuse occurs, according to the criminal complaint.

The girl also told investigators that Clark had put his hands over her mouth and nose “and I couldn’t breathe,” court papers indicate.

Follow Carl Hessler Jr. on Twitter @MontcoCourtNews

http://www.timesherald.com/article/20120814/NEWS03/120819753/mom-sentenced-for-turning-blind-eye-to-abuse-of-child

That baby's lucky to be alive. Glad he got some justice, the girl to.
William

Only 9 to 23 months in jail? Seriously? What is wrong with our justice system?

A lot of judges don't put the same value on a baby's life as they do that of an adult. Sad but true.

By the grace of God this baby is alive. I can't believe that the POS mother was only sentenced to nine to 23 months in the county jail, to be followed by four years’ probation. Unbelievable. That's like a slap on the hand. She'll probably even get the kids back and let some other monster harm those children. What is wrong with our judicial system? She should have received 20 years in jail. That would insure she could never harm this baby again as he would be an adult by the time she got out.

We need better laws for kids. Double sentences for crimes against children.
A national death penality for deliberatly causing the death of a child.

What is it with boyfriends. I would give anything to love little angels. Regardless if they were my own. He should have got life with her the same. She let him hurt that little angel and the girl to. Only by luck did the little boy survive. Most don't with brain injuries. She should be sterlized and not be given her kids back.

I have NO tolerance for people that hurt little angels.

William

willcarney wrote:We need better laws for kids. Double sentences for crimes against children.
A national death penality for deliberatly causing the death of a child.

What is it with boyfriends. I would give anything to love little angels. Regardless if they were my own. He should have got life with her the same. She let him hurt that little angel and the girl to. Only by luck did the little boy survive. Most don't with brain injuries. She should be sterlized and not be given her kids back.

I have NO tolerance for people that hurt little angels.

William

...I couldn't agree MORE!

Philly man acquitted of Upper Pottsgrove child abuse charges
By Carl Hessler Jr.
chessler@pottsmerc.com

Friday, February 1,2013


NORRISTOWN — A Philadelphia man has been acquitted by a jury of charges he physically abused the 19-month-old son of his Upper Pottsgrove girlfriend.

Peter V. Clark, 30, of Alton Street, was acquitted by a Montgomery County Court jury on Friday of charges of aggravated and simple assault and endangering the welfare of children after a four-day trial before Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy. The jury deliberated more than six hours over two days before reaching its verdict.

Clark appeared tearful and hugged his lawyer William E. Moore after the verdict was announced.

“He’s relieved. The weight has been lifted off his shoulders,” Moore said on Clark’s behalf.

Clark, who spent about a year in jail while waiting for the case to come to trial, was released from custody Friday afternoon.

“I noticed that the jury was very attentive throughout and, based on the amount of time they took to deliberate I think it’s clear that they went through all of the evidence carefully. So I respect their decision,” Assistant District Attorney Jordan Friter said in reaction to the verdict. “But I stand by our evidence in the case.”

During the trial, Friter argued the little boy suffered fractures and various bruises at the hands of Clark during incidents that occurred between December 2011 and January 2012 and which were witnessed by the boy’s 7-year-old sister in Upper Pottsgrove.

The little girl testified during the trial that Clark used duct tape to bind her little brother and threw the toddler across the floor.

But Clark adamantly denied inflicting the child’s injuries, implying the injuries occurred when he was not with the child.

Moore implied to the jury that the child’s injuries occurred while the boy was solely in the company of his mother, Stephanie Leigh Beck. Moore claimed Beck sent text messages to a relative expressing that she was exasperated about child rearing and needed relief. Moore also presented evidence which he claimed showed that Clark was not with the child on the days he implied the injuries must have occurred.

Beck, 28, of the 1400 block of Farmington Avenue, Upper Pottsgrove, previously was sentenced to nine to 23 months in the county jail, to be followed by four years’ probation, after she pleaded guilty to a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children in connection with the investigation.

With the charges against Beck, authorities alleged she turned a blind eye to the injuries suffered by her son and didn’t get him prompt medical care. Beck violated a duty of care for a child, authorities said.

As part of her sentence, Beck has to complete parenting classes and was not allowed to have contact with her children, who are in the custody of relatives.

An investigation began in January 2012 when Upper Pottsgrove police were notified about the little boy’s injuries by a caseworker from the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth Services.

Upper Pottsgrove Police Officer Albert Werner, who investigated the incident, went to speak with Beck at her Farmington Avenue residence on Jan. 10 after seeing photographs of the 19-month-old that showed “severe bruising” to his head and face, according to the arrest affidavit. When Werner questioned Beck about the bruising on the toddler’s body, she said, “I have clumsy kids; they fall.” Beck told police the child fell off the steps and onto a toy train.

After observing additional bruising on the toddler’s body the day Werner went to question Beck, both the boy and Beck’s 7-year-old daughter were removed from her custody, placed in the care of county social workers and taken to The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania for medical evaluations, according to the arrest affidavit.

The exam revealed that the toddler boy had suffered a fractured arm, a fractured skull and bleeding to his brain. The 7-year-old girl was clear of any physical injuries but told investigators her mother’s boyfriend, Clark, physically abused her toddler brother, including putting his hand over the toddler’s mouth “until it gets bloody.” The girl also said Clark “chokes, kicks and puts his hand over” the toddler’s mouth, and that Clark did this to her brother in her mother’s presence, according to the criminal complaint and trial testimony.

The girl told investigators Clark had “taped my baby brother’s mouth shut and his hands and feet together and was hanging him upside down” while the toddler screamed, according to a videotape of her interview by child social workers that was played for the jury. The girl claimed Clark had “thrown” the toddler across the room “where he hit a glass table and it broke,” according to testimony and the arrest affidavit.

Additionally, the girl said, her mother “doesn’t care. She just sits and watches TV” when the abuse occurs, according to the criminal complaint.

Follow Carl Hessler Jr. on Twitter @MontcoCourtNews






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© 2013 The Mercury (http://www.pottsmerc.com),Serving Pottstown, PA and The Tri County area, PA.

How did they get the "Pinellas 12" to sit for this case?


So basically this jury is saying that the sister is a liar, plain and simple.
If the little girl had just defended her mother maybe there would be reasonable doubt; but when the child says that her mother "doesn't care, she just watches TV" then it seems obvious that her testimony is true. That baby could have been killed. And surely there could have not been proof that this man was not there when the abuse happened unless he was in jail for a couple of months.

How sad for the sister. What will she think of our justice (?) system?

Thanks for the update MasonMomma

willcarney wrote:We need better laws for kids. Double sentences for crimes against children.
A national death penality for deliberatly causing the death of a child.

What is it with boyfriends. I would give anything to love little angels. Regardless if they were my own. He should have got life with her the same. She let him hurt that little angel and the girl to. Only by luck did the little boy survive. Most don't with brain injuries. She should be sterlized and not be given her kids back.

I have NO tolerance for people that hurt little angels.

William

William, some judges don't think children's lives are as valuable as adult and babies even worth less. Therefore they slap the hands of the abusers and even the murderers.

I think they are worth more and should receive more severe sentences.

Sadly, most judges don't agree.