Pa couple charged in severe abuse of 3 young children

BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — State police say an Everett, Pa, man is accused of severely abusing three young children including breaking their bones, squeezing their fingers with pliers and burning them with a lighter. According to state police, both 27-year-old Dakota Bussard and 29-year-old Daisy Maust are facing charges for the abuse.

In a criminal complaint, state police say they first conducted a welfare check in Dec. after one of the children sustained a broken leg shortly after another child sustained a broken arm. Troopers say all the children had bruises. Investigators interviewed Bussard and say he claimed that, during a shopping trip, one of the kids fell out of the car while tangling a leg in a diaper bag.

Maust admitted that Bussard had been abusing the children. When asked why she didn’t report the suspected abuse to police, investigators say Maust claimed she was afraid Bussard would hurt her instead. According to the complaint, Maust recalled several incidents of child abuse. She said Bussard had squeezed and twisted one of the children’s legs, state police say. She recalled another incident where Bussard took pliers and squeezed one of the kids’ fingers. Maust also told state police that Bussard had thrown a cowboy boot at one of the kids’ heads and had burnt one of them on the thigh with a lighter, according to the complaint.

Bussard has been arrested for several other assaults in the past including a 2019 aggravated assault of another small child. Bussard faces charges related to aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of children, according to court documents, while Maust faces charges related to endangering the welfare of children.

https://wjactv.com/news/local/local-couple-charged-in-severe-abuse-of-3-young-children-state-police-say