Three Girardville residents face criminal charges after police allege they hid an injured child in a basement while they were conducting a welfare check at their home earlier this year.
Alexander Medina-Salome, 37, of Girardville, has been charged with a felony count of endangering the welfare of children, misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and simple assault, and a summary count of harassment.
Carmen Perez, 32, and Jonathan Perez, 35, both of Girardville, have been charged with misdemeanor obstruction and a summary count of disorderly conduct.
Police say the investigation in this case began on Jan. 10. At about 3 p.m., police were called to a residence at 205 B St. in Girardville for a welfare check.
At the scene, police say they spoke with a family member who reported receiving a text message stating a juvenile female relative was being abused and had visible marks on her face and back while staying at the residence.
The family member reportedly told police they attempted to contact Carmen Perez at the home, but she refused to answer the door.
Police say they entered the home and spoke with Carmen and Jonathan Perez. The couple reportedly said that the children were upstairs, with two sleeping and a third playing. A welfare check was conducted on three female children upstairs and observed no physical marks on them.
While police were at the scene, the children’s mother spoke by phone and provided the names of her daughters. Carmen and Jonathan Perez subsequently told the mother they would return the children to her residence in Reading, and police departed.
Later, police contacted the children’s mother again to discuss the incident further. During this conversation, the mother informed police that she actually had four daughters at the Girardville residence, not three.
Police allege that Carmen and Jonathan Perez hid the fourth child – the alleged victim – in the basement with Medina-Salome while they were upstairs. The Perez couple allegedly had another sister pretend to be the victim during the police check.
The mother told police she had seen a bruise on the victim’s face during a FaceTime call earlier that morning. She explained that she did not initially inform police about the deception because she was afraid Carmen Perez would call her probation officer to get her in trouble.
After Carmen and Jonathan Perez dropped the children off in Reading, the mother confirmed the injuries to police.
On Jan. 10, a trooper from the State Police-Reading barracks reportedly interviewed the juvenile victim. The child told police that Medina-Salome slapped her in the face and back multiple times after she threw an item out of a bedroom window.
The victim also told investigators that Carmen and Jonathan Perez made her hide in the basement while police were at the Girardville home specifically so officers would not see her bruises.
The Perezes are due for a preliminary hearing on March 4 before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli. A warrant has been issued for Medina-Salome’s arrest.
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