Montco Man Accused Of Extracting Autistic Child's Teeth Headed To Prison
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- The Montgomery County man accused of forcefully removing three teeth from the mouth of an autistic boy has been sentenced to two-to-ten years in state prison.
Twenty-eight-year-old Nicholas Kernechel pleaded guilty in May to endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, and reckless endangerment, in exchange for the more serious aggravated assault charged getting dropped.
He was accused of pulling three teeth out of the mouth of an autistic, 4-year-old boy in his care, then leaving him in his bed until the child's mother found him the next morning.
After prosecutor Samantha Cauffman showed photos of the boy and of his bloody sheets, the judge asked why prosecutors didn't pursue aggravated assault, adding even he was emotionally affected by the images.
"These photographs are the visualization of what that defendant did to that child," she said, "I'm glad he looked at them, I'm glad he didn't look away and I'm glad they affected him."
Cauffman says the boy's family is satisfied with the sentence. She says the boy is on the road to recovery, but likely would have been traumatized by a trial.
"Justice in this case was a plea to everything but the highest charge," she said, "in making sure the court saw the severity of the conduct against that child without making him go through the rigors of trial."
Kernechel has been in custody since July 2015, and says he is taking full responsibility for actions and seeking help for drug and alcohol addiction.
