Chambersburg pair 'popped' children with breathing tube and belt for stealing, police say
Ashley BooksA preliminary hearing is scheduled for a Chambersburg man and a Chambersburg woman after police say the woman admitted the two "popped" several children for stealing from local stores.
Linda Erica Rosario, 33, and Jose Manuel Morales-Ayala, 47, are both charged with one count each of misdemeanor endangering the welfare of children and misdemeanor simple assault, according to court documents.
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Chambersburg Police were first notified about the alleged abuse on Dec. 7 when they received a report from a woman that her three children had been injured while in the care of Rosario and Morales-Ayala the night before.
Documents show the mother noticed multiple injuries on the kids' bodies, including a forehead welt and a bloody lip on the 10-year-old, as well as welts on the back of the legs of that child and two others, ages 7 and 9.
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The children claimed Morales-Ayala slapped the eldest in the face and struck all of them with his plastic breathing tube, police said. They also said Rosario struck them with a belt while their pants were down, which documents show was consistent with several injuries.
During an interview on Dec. 11, Rosario told authorities she and Morales-Ayala "popped" the children several times for stealing from local stores. She admitted to hitting them with a belt and to Morales-Ayala striking them with a tube.
The hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Jan. 29 in Franklin County Central Court.