Derry man claims plea deal to domestic violence will support family

A Derry Township man told a Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday he would plead guilty to domestic violence charges to help his family.

In doing so, Kane Markle will have limited contact with his two children, according to terms of a plea deal. The deal will enable his parole from the county jail, where he has been held since his arrest in January.

Markle, 27, pleaded guilty to felony counts of child endangerment and misdemeanor charges of making terroristic threats in connection with an incident Jan. 5 at a home he shared with a girlfriend and their two young children. Police said Markle shoved his girlfriend, threw their 2-year-old son across a room and then retrieved three handguns and threatened to kill them.

The child sustained minor injuries, according to court records.

Markle said he agreed to a plea deal prohibiting him having any unsupervised contact with his children to allow him to continue supporting the family. Any contact with the children will have to be supervised by a professional child services official and with consent from the county’s children’s bureau, the judge said.

“I feel it is in my best interest for my children to continue as a father,” Markle said. “I grew up in a split home, and I am trying to do whatever it takes to be a provider for my children.”

Markle was sentenced to serve nine to 23 months in jail and be immediately paroled with credit for the time he’s been in custody since his arrest. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani also ordered Markle to serve an additional two years on probation.

Markle said he will live at the home of his girlfriend’s mother. His girlfriend, with whom he said he has since reunited, and their children will live at another location.

Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said the plea deal was crafted to address concerns about the safety of Markle’s children.

“The offer was contingent on the fact that there’s absolutely no contact with children,” Lazar said.

Simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal.