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Police: Venango Township parents accused of child abuse

Two Venango Township parents were accused of child abuse after a 3-month-old infant in their care was found to have several broken bones, police said Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Destiny G. Valimont, 20, and Dustin Snyder, 31, were aware of the child’s injuries and did not seek medical attention, according to state police.

Valimont was charged with felonies aggravated assault — attempts to cause serious bodily injury, aggravated assault of a child less than 6, child endangerment, reckless endangerment and misdemeanor simple assault on Wednesday. She was placed in Butler County Prison the same day, in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Police said in a news release that Snyder also will be charged with reckless endangerment and child endangerment.

The charges come after staff at a Pittsburgh hospital examined a 3-month-old, who was in the care of Valimont and Snyder. Doctors said the injuries were “virtually diagnostic of physical child abuse.”

Doctors told troopers that the child had sustained a displaced oblique fracture to the right femur, a fracture to the right tibia, and fractures to two left ribs. Police said the rib fractures were in various stages of the healing process.

The treating physician advised that the injuries were “not consistent with how (they) were reported.” Police said doctors noted that the child was in substantial pain and suffered impairment of function, documents showed.

The infant was first taken to AHN Grove City, where staff notified state police of an infant’s hip injury on Sunday, Sept. 17.

At that time, the infant was taken by helicopter to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for further treatment, police said.

According to charging documents, a county social worker received a call earlier Sunday from Valimont about the child. The worker told police Valimont had asked to be driven to the hospital because she was “trying to get gas out of the baby” and thought she did it wrong. Valimont said she thought she broke or dislocated the child’s hip, documents showed.

Troopers interviewed Valimont and Snyder at AHN Grove City before the child was flown to Pittsburgh. Police said Valimont told officers that around 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, she was attempting to help the baby release gas when she “heard a crack” while pushing on his legs.

When police asked Snyder why he didn’t take the child to the hospital that day, he said he’d just drank a beer and “didn’t want to go to the hospital and be questioned,” documents showed.

When interviewed Sunday at the Butler state police barracks, Valimont disclosed that she was angry with the child for being fussy and pushed on its leg forcefully before hearing it crack, according to charging documents.

Investigators made contact with Children’s Hospital officials Sunday and observed the child’s condition. Police said the child had a bruise on his right forehead that doctors estimated was three or four days old.

Police said they also observed that the child’s right leg was significantly swollen, and that the child could move his foot, but not his leg.

Valimont’s preliminary hearing before District Judge Lewis Stoughton is scheduled Oct. 3.

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