Pa. man accused of ripping teeth out of autistic boy's mouth

NORRISTOWN, Pa. -- Law enforcement officials say that a 27-year-old Montgomery County man is now in custody after one 0f the "most horrific acts of child abuse" they've seen "in a really long time."

Investigators told CBS Philadelphia that Nicholas Kernechel is facing multiple counts of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

While watching his girlfriend's autistic son, Kernechel allegedly pulled out three of the boy's teeth after the 4-year-old apparently wasn't listening to his instructions.

According to Philly.com, prosecutors say the incident occurred the night of July 18.

When the boy's mother returned home, she reportedly checked on the boy, but did not notice the swelling, bruising and missing teeth until the following morning. She then went to police, who told CBS Philly that they found blood splatter on the wall next to the bed, on the sheets and pillow case, as well as on the floor.

"The teeth were recovered, they were intact from the root to the edge of the tooth," Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman told the station. "They were bloodied. And they have striations on them that would indicate that a tool of some sort was used to remove them from the child's mouth."

Kernechel was later arraigned on Sept. 17, but remains in Montgomery County jail on $100,000 bail, reports Philly.com.

He is reportedly scheduled to appear Oct. 1 for a preliminary hearing.