By MARISSA DECHANT
Staff writer
An Oil City woman is facing aggravated assault charges after she allegedly burned her child with cigarettes in July.
A criminal complaint filed through District Judge Andrew Fish’s office said Venango County Children and Youth Services received a report in July of a child less than 6 years old who had been burned with cigarettes.
The child appeared to have round burns on both her left and right hand and wrist areas, the complaint said.
On Oct. 3, Sines was interviewed by Oil City police and denied having intentionally burned the child, the complaint said.
Sines said one of the burns was the result of an accident while the child was playing outside the residence, according to the complaint.
Sines related she was unsure how the other burn occurred, and the child had been at a neighbor’s residence prior to Sines finding the burns on her daughter, the complaint said.
Sines was again interviewed by police on Oct. 30, and she said she intentionally burned the child with a lit cigarette on two separate occasions, the complaint said.
Sines said both incidents occurred as punishment when the child would not listen, the complaint said.
Sines said other forms of punishment had not been successful and she also admitted to once sitting on the child to force feed her as she wouldn’t eat, the complaint said.
Sines is facing two felony counts of aggravated assault – child less than 6 years old, a felony count of endangering the welfare of children and two misdemeanor counts of simple assault.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively set for Nov. 15 in Central Court.
