Vandergrift man accused of slapping 3-year-old in face so hard it left a hand-shaped welt

Vandergrift police accused a man of repeatedly slapping a toddler in the face so hard that it left a handprint and a bruised and swollen welt.

Timothy John Turner, 47, of Franklin Avenue in Vandergrift, was charged with a felony count of aggravated assault of a child under the age of 6, along with counts of simple assault and harassment.

He is accused of assaulting a 3-year-old.

Turner was charged by summons. He faces a preliminary hearing Dec. 20 before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint that, Sept. 14, the child’s mother returned home from work and saw the handprint across the right side of the child’s face.

Two adults questioned by police said they witnessed Turner assault the child, the complaint said.

Officers also interviewed the child, who said Turner struck them multiple times in the right side of the face with an open hand, according to the complaint.

Police said a red, swollen bruise in the shape of an adult-sized hand covered the toddler’s face from the hairline to the bottom of their cheek. Police said they spoke with the child about two hours after the assault was alleged to have occurred.

The child was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to be evaluated, the complaint said.

The toddler gave the same account of the alleged assault during a Sept. 23 forensic interview at A Child’s Place advocacy center in Pittsburgh, according to Turner’s arrest papers.

When officers questioned Turner at his house, he admitted grabbing the child but denied hitting the child, the complaint said.