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Stewartstown man accused of physically abusing 2-year-old child in his care

STEWARTSTOWN, York County — A 30-year-old Stewartstown man is facing assault and endangerment charges after police say he physically abused a two-year-old...
icenrode

STEWARTSTOWN, York County — A 30-year-old Stewartstown man is facing assault and endangerment charges after police say he physically abused a two-year-old child in his care.

Matthew Paul Icenrode, of the 15000 block of Maddox Road, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the incident, which occurred Sunday.

According to State Police, the victim’s mother took him to Upper Chesapeake Hospital in Bel Air, MD for treatment of injuries to his head and face. Medical personnel notified police after determining the injuries were the result of child abuse. The child suffered bruises to his left and right cheeks, a suspected burn mark to his right hand, and a cut on the back of his head, police say.

The child was transferred to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for additional examination and treatment, where it was determined that he had also suffered a fractured skull and lesions to his penis, according to police.

The victim’s mother told police that she had taken the child from the child’s biological father, with whom she shares custody, on Feb. 28. The child had no injuries at the time, his mother said. That night, the child’s mother went out to play Bingo and left him the care of Icenrode.

When the victim’s mother returned home, Icenrode told her the child was asleep in his room, the mother told police. Later that night, the victim vomited in his crib, and his mother observed his bruises on his face while she was attending to him, police say.

The child’s injuries became more apparent over the next few days, and he continued to vomit intermittently, the mother told police. At that point, she decided to take the child to the hospital for treatment.

Police interviewed the victim’s biological father and the child’s grandmother, both of whom said the child was uninjured when he relinquished custody to the child’s mother. The child’s biological father provided police with photos of the child taken on Feb. 27, where the child could be seen without any physical injuries.

Police then interviewed Icenrode, who told them he was asked by the victim’s mother to watch the child on the night of Feb. 28, according to the criminal complaint. Icenrode told police he plays a World of Warcraft online video game once a week and was playing that night, but eventually agreed to care for the child.

That night, Icenrode said, the child was eating Doritos, and “fussed” when Icenrode took them away.

The criminal complaint does not state whether Icenrode admitted to abusing the child.

Based on the fact that Icenrode was the only person watching the child at the time the child was injured, police filed the charges against Icenrode, according to the criminal complaint.

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