Coaldale man charged with assault
Coaldale Police have charged Mark Wesley Whildin, 38, of West Moser Avenue with assaulting a child.
Schuylkill County Children and Youth contacted police on July 18 concerning a suspected child abuse case. The victim, a toddler, had a bump on her head and a brush burn on her face.
After interviewing the child’s mother and day care provider, the bump on the head proved to be from a fall on July 12. Neither had an explanation for the marks on the child’s cheek.
The child’s mother said she put the toddler to bed at 10:15 p.m. on July 12 and the only injury she had was the bump on her head. The woman’s boyfriend, Whildin, changed the child’s diaper before he left for work at 4:15 a.m. on July 13. At 4:45 a.m., the lttle girl woke up crying, saying her belly hurt and vomited. The mother noticed the burn on the girl’s cheek when she was cleaning her up. She shared that information with the day care provider later that morning.
When interviewed, Whildin denied any knowledge of the child’s injuries. He later admitted slapping the child in the face several times and shoving her to the floor when she wouldn’t stop crying.
He was charged with two counts of simple assault and two counts of harassment and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before District Magisterial Judge Stephen Bayer on Aug. 7.
