10-year-old boy testifies against 2 Westmoreland County women accused of abusing him

Two Westmoreland County women were in court for the first time Wednesday afternoon after charges were filed against them for allegedly abusing their 10-year-old grandson.

Elma Ritenour, the child's great-grandmother, and Mary Shroyer, the child's grandmother, pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a child.

The prosecution called the 10-year-old victim to the stand as their first witness.

The child testified that he was hit with belts and told CYS the women would use a paddle on him. He reported the paddle was hidden when CYS would show up for a visit. The child went on to testify that both women would hit him and his siblings while they lived there.

"Some days we were sent to bed without food," the child testified.

In December, the child was taken to the hospital after his mother picked him up with a bloody nose. Police report the child was found to have a concussion after Shroyer and Ritenour hit him in the face and knocked him to the ground.

The child testified that Shroyer and Ritenour threatened him and his siblings "all the time and that they would beat us harder if we told anyone."

The prosecution asked the judge to add terroristic threats to the women's charges after she claimed Ritenour and Shroyer threatened the victim, saying if he told, "he would die."

KDKA-TV talked to Shroyer's ex-husband Thomas Stark after the hearing. He denied the allegations against the women.

"I've never seen her beat on the kids or anything like that. She has made them sit in timeout and things like that," Stark said. "Mary is innocent as hell when it comes to child abuse."

Stark did not comment on behalf of Ritenour but claimed the victim was lying when he testified that he didn't have food.

"(Mary) has a heart that won't quit. You know? She'll give you anything she has. And if you leave her table without eating hungry, it's your own fault. And for them kids, like I said, I empty my freezer out. I mean, they were full, and I actually took vacuum-sealed deer burger meat out of my own. I emptied both freezers and took them down and I cooked for the kids," Stark said.

After the hearing, the women and their attorneys had no comment.

Judge Scott Fanchalsky held all charges for court. Shroyer and Ritenour's formal arraignment is scheduled for June 18.

The child's mother told KDKA-TV she's happy that additional charges were filed and believes justice is finally being served.