IRWIN TWP., PA. (EYT) – A 48-year-old man is jailed for allegedly neglecting and assaulting his autistic grandson.
Court documents show that Franklin-based state police have filed criminal charges against the 48-year-old. James Allan Guffeyin Grove City, Thursday, December 22, in the office of District Judge Patrick E. Lowry.
According to the criminal complaint, on March 1, 2022, a teacher at a school in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, filed a report of alleged child abuse. school.
The victim recently returned to school after a long period of absence. The report said the victim had expressed concern because he had lost significant weight over the past few months and his ribs and spine were visible, the complaint said.
According to the complaint, the victim also reportedly had bruises around his eyes and shoulders. Victim is reportedly diagnosed with autism and is non-verbal.
James Guffey, the victim’s grandfather and legal guardian, told school officials he was unaware of the victim’s bruises and did not know how he supported them.
According to the complaint, the victim felt pain when trying to have a bowel movement and vomited after eating. Note that school officials had recommended that Gaffi take the victim to a doctor.
School officials were unsure whether Guffey had performed a medical evaluation, but the victim’s condition had not improved. The complaint points out that it expresses concern over the failure to take action.
After the initial child abuse report was made, the Venango County CYS was involved and took the victim to UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics in Grove City on March 7. At this point, the victim weighed 52 pounds.
According to medical records obtained by CYS, the victim last saw a doctor on March 30, 2018 and weighed 69 pounds. Due to ongoing concerns that the victim would not grow up, CYS advised Guffey to take the victim to her UPMC Children’s in Pittsburgh for evaluation. According to the complaint, Guffey complied and an evaluation resulted in the victim being hospitalized for malnutrition.
Numerous tests were performed during the victim’s stay at the Children’s Hospital, but no abnormalities were found during the tests, and no medical problems could explain the victim’s weight loss. The victim’s weight loss was presumed to be due to inadequate caloric intake, as not enough calories were provided at home, the complaint states.
A doctor at UPMC Children’s gave an expert opinion that the victim was “definitely a victim of chronic neglect.” Upon admission, the victim was also found to have abrasions on his arms and a rash on his buttocks. According to the complaint, Guffey advised medical personnel that he had just developed a rash, but the contact dermatitis on his buttocks appeared to be chronic.
On April 21, 2022, the CY-104 form was faxed from the Venango County CYS to PSP Franklin. The report summarizes the above facts and circumstances. The victim lived with his grandfather, James Guffey, and the victim’s grandparents raised him, but his grandmother died in October 2018. talked.
The caseworker said the victim’s parents did not live in the area and were not involved in his daily life. Victim recently missed a significant amount of school, and from January he was absent for a full month until February 9th. The caseworker recommended that he question Guffey as to why the victim was absent from school. of diarrhea. Guffey was asked if he had taken the victim to a doctor. However, the caseworker said that when he contacted the victim’s clinic in Grove City, they found no records of those visits. , also indicated that victims weighed up to 66 pounds. As of his last check-up on April 20, she said there appeared to be a correlation that the weight was lost when the victim was out of school and eating school lunches. Stated.
On May 19th, PSP Franklin interviewed Guffey, who admitted the reasons for this investigation. Guffey says victims go through stages of refusal to eat for days. Throughout January, Guffey said the victim had a phase in which this lasted longer than usual, exceeding five days. rice field. The victim had been drinking, so he bought “Boost” to supplement his nutrition, Guffey said. According to the complaint, Guffey admitted that the victim had lost a significant amount of weight, which he attributed to the victim’s refusal to eat and continued vomiting and diarrhea.
Guffey said he did not send the victim to school out of school courtesy. Guffey said the victim had seen a doctor multiple times in January (before CYS was involved), but there was no evidence of the visits, the complaint says.
Guffey said he had previously owed a co-payment to the doctor’s office, which is probably why he didn’t record the visit. Police advised Guffey that the victim’s last visit to the doctor was in 2018, according to the victim’s medical records. Guffey showed that the victim was able to consume food on their own and that food was always offered to the victim. He also said he had no problem paying for the home’s food supply, the complaint says.
On May 20, police spoke with the victim’s teacher, who said the victim missed a significant amount of school in January and February of this year. There was no doctor’s excuse at school and these absences were considered unfounded. When the victim returned to school, he had lost a significant amount of weight, had difficulty keeping food down, and would often vomit. rice field. It may be necessary to limit the amount of food given to the victim, as they may eat too quickly. The victim also had several bruises on his face and body. When asked about the bruise, Guffey said he didn’t know how the victim was injured. The school urged Guffy to take the victim to a doctor.
From May 25th to September 27th, CYS continuously checked the victim’s weight. Between these dates, the victim’s weight fluctuated between he 71 pounds. (25 May 2022) and £80.6 (4 August 2022), the complaint states.
On October 11, the victim was at school and reportedly had a seizure. He was transferred to his UPMC Children’s. At the time of his admission, the victim had abrasions around his left eye, upper arm, forearm, right side and upper thigh, and bite marks on the top of his left foot. According to medical records, the victim had other injuries on his body and was in various stages of healing. According to the medical memo, Gouffy claimed the victim bit himself and injured the victim’s side and his thigh as he fell down a hill and into bushes.
Guffey said he didn’t notice the bruise on the victim’s eyelid before he left for school. Doctors also said they continued to be concerned about the lack of care for the victims, as their weight had not increased since the spring.
As a result of the above issue, another report was made to Childline and was transferred from the Venango County CYS to PSP Franklin on October 13th. After being discharged from the hospital, the Venango County CYS began proceedings and the victim was subsequently placed in his foster care. For his happiness he goes home. After receiving a childline, police spoke to a caseworker who said the victim was placed in foster care on October 13 and weighed 70 pounds at the time. Since that time, the victim started gaining weight again. The caseworker associated with the victim appears to be doing well in the foster home and appears to be improving overall. The caseworker provided documentation showing the victim weighed up to 79 pounds. During a November 18 doctor’s visit, according to the complaint.
On November 10, police contacted the victim’s school and told another teacher: The report was made out of concern about the victim’s home environment. The victim had bruises all over his body and smelled of urine. Guffey claimed she was unaware of the bruise and gave inconsistent narratives about how the victim had been bruised, who had a very voracious appetite and was craving food throughout the day. Complaints say there is.
On December 15, police spoke with the victim’s foster family and said the victim had numerous injuries, including bite marks on his ankle. She also indicated that she observed what appeared to be cigarette burns on the victim’s body. The night the victim came to his adoptive mother, he was starving and apparently unable to feed. She also said that this type of food aggression has since subsided and the victim now weighs 81 pounds.
PSP Frankin asked foster parents if any of their victims had ever experienced digestive problems, such as vomiting or diarrhea. This behavior subsided and the victim learned to eat and drink at a normal pace, she said. and showed no experience of food refusal. Victims are also working on potty training and are now starting to let them know when they need to use the potty. Foster parents further noted that when the victim first came to them, he often flinched and seemed afraid of being hit.
The foster parents seem to have grown accustomed to the victim and are beginning to realize that they have no intention of harming him. She also noted that she had a tendency to tease and only noticed that the scab had healed on her chin.
Based on the facts and circumstances discovered during the investigation, PSP Frankin requested that Guffey appear in court on the following charges:
– Endangering child welfare – Parent/guardian/other crime, felony 3
He was arraigned before Judge Rowley at 1:30 pm on December 22nd.
Unable to post bail of $10,000.00, he was held in the Venango County Jail.
A preliminary hearing will be held on Wednesday, January 4 at 8:30 am in Venango County Central Court, presided over by Judge Rowley.
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