One member of a Somerset County duo charged in an incident on Aug. 20, 2021, in which a 1-year-old child ended up at a hospital with burns and bruises has been sentenced by Somerset County President Judge D. Gregory Geary.
Austin Ray Brant, who pleaded guilty Sept. 19 after a plea agreement to endangering the welfare of children, a first-degree misdemeanor, was sentenced to 3 to 23 months followed by one year of probation.
The 27-year-old Boswell man will serve his time in the Somerset County Jail.
The child's other parent, Kelsea Jean Truman, 26, Somerset, is awaiting trial on the initial charges filed against Brant and her — endangering the welfare of children and aggravated assault felonies, and simple assault, which is a first-degree misdemeanor. Her defense attorney is Jaclyn Mariah Shaw, of New Kensington.
State police in Somerset were notified by UPMC Somerset on Aug. 23, 2021, that a 1-year-old child was evaluated for injuries. The child was later seen at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where bruises were found that were not "sustained by normal childhood play and are consistent with inflicted bruises," according to court documents.
Burns on the child's arms were also "consistent with inflicted burns," according to an affidavit.
Brant had another case that involved Truman. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in August to 45 days to 23 months for strangulation connected to a domestic abuse incident April 15 in Jenner Township.
He and Truman began fighting in the car while driving home when he pulled over and told her to get out. Then he changed his mind and took her the rest of the way, parked the car, and reached over and choked her with both hands. She broke free, jumped out of the car, and the couple threw shoes at each other. Brant next took Truman's phone and threw it against a nearby wall, breaking the phone. He then choked her again. Then they went inside and the fight stopped, according to court documents.
Brant was charged and pleaded guilty to strangulation, a second-degree misdemeanor.
