A Pennsylvania woman and her boyfriend have been arrested after she made her children choose between being punished with a gun or a belt as he watched and laughed.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Police confirmed that Maria Roche has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a victim less than 13 years of age, two counts of endangering the welfare of children and one count of simple assault.
Roche’s boyfriend, William Witherspoon, was also charged with one count of endangering the welfare of children.
Police said that they filed the charges following an investigation into Roche, 31, and Witherspoon “where children in their house were experiencing being beaten with a belt.” Meanwhile, authorities determined that guns in the home “were used to threaten and strike the children.”
Dauphin County Children and Youth Services employees visited Roche’s home in Harrisburg on February 17 after they received a report from a 12-year-old child, according to charging documents viewed by WPMT.
Roche allegedly admitted to keeping guns in the home during the visit, which led the child services agency to contact police.
Youth services employees interviewed two of the children in the home on Friday, March 20. Authorities said that one of the children reportedly claimed that Roche asked a child to go get a gun before she attempted to shoot one of their siblings in the head. However, the shot missed and the bullet hit a nearby wall.
Roche was also accused of forcing the children to choose between “the gun or the belt” when it came to how she punished them. Meanwhile, police accused Witherspoon of allegedly watching the abuse and laughing as Roche punished the children.
Police added that there were even more allegations made against Roche and Witherspoon. One child told investigators that Roche kept firearms under her bed, while Roche was also accused of once shoving the barrel of a gun between the eyes of one of her children.
Additionally, one child reported that they were hit by a belt on his neck, arms and back, according to WPMT.
Authorities did not specify if any of the children belong to Roche or Witherspoon or if they’re related.
Both Roche or Witherspoon were arrested on March 20 and were booked into the Dauphin County Prison. Their cases were listed as transferred on Monday, March 23. It is not currently clear when they are next scheduled to appear in court.
It is not currently known if Roche or Witherspoon have entered pleas or retained legal representation about their arrests. The Harrisburg Bureau of Police did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment.
