By BRETT R. WHITLING
Staff writer
CLARION – A 25-year-old Clarion woman has been charged for allegedly spanking a five-year-old girl hard enough to create multiple bruises on the girl’s buttocks.
Susannah M. Sammy is charged with simple assault, a first-degree misdemeanor at an unspecified time March 15 in Clarion Borough.
At 10:08 p.m. March 16, Clarion Borough Police Officer Roger Wright received information from a nurse at the Clarion Hospital Emergency Room of the five-year-old girl being treated for severe bruising on her buttocks.
The girl was brought in by her mother who said she dropped her daughter off with a babysitter, identified by the mother as Sammy, at 7 a.m. March 14 and picked her up at 4 p.m. March 16.
When picking up her daughter, Sammy told the mother she “smacked” the girl’s buttocks and left a small bruise. Sammy allegedly said she waited to tell the mother in person because she did not want to tell her over the phone.
The mother advised Sammy to never put her hands on her children again and left Sammy’s residence on Penn Avenue.
When they got home, the mother checked the girl’s buttocks and found severe purple bruising.
She proceeded to call Children & Youth Services of Clarion County and took her to the Clarion Hospital where Wright was contacted.
Photographs of the injuries were turned over to CYS employee Diana Detrick and she advised Wright Clarion Borough Police Officer Neil Kemmer could call her and take over his investigation.
Detrick relayed information to Kemmer stating the girl was spanked on her bare buttocks.
The photographs showed the bruises were black and purple in color and on both sides of her buttocks.
At 9:35 a.m. March 17, Kemmer and C.Y.S. employee Gina Antill went to Sammy’s residence. Sammy allegedly said she had been expecting police to stop by and apologized for hitting the girl.
Sammy stated she had been babysitting the girl and her brother for five years.
Sammy allegedly stated on March 15 the girl had problems telling the truth and began to cry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Sammy allegedly told the girl to “quit crying or she would give her something to cry about” and then struck the girl.
Sammy said she allegedly smacked her between 10 and 12 times throughout the day — once after dinner and again before bed for taking an hour in the bathroom to wash up.
Sammy allegedly admitted to smacking her bare buttocks four to five times, all done with her open hand.
Sammy allegedly said she “felt terrible” for hitting the girl which is why she told the mother “there was some slight bruising.”
