Parents in Washington County face multiple child endangerment charges
Police charged the parents of three children with multiple counts of child endangerment in Monongahela, Washington County.
Abigail Kachur and her fiancé, Paul Alexander, face one felony and two misdemeanors for child endangerment after what police said are five separate child endangerment incidents.
"I did my best as a mom, as a parent would. I'd never hurt my kids. I love my kids," Kachur told KDKA-TV on Tuesday.
She claims that before anything happened, she reached out to Children and Youth Services for assistance.
"They didn't do anything until it came down to this," Kachur said.
The most recent incident took place on July 1 at their home off Chess Road in Monongahela, where they live with their 2-month-old boy, 2-year-old girl, and 6-year-old boy, who is nonverbal autistic.
Court records said police learned from medical staff at Penn Highlands Hospital about the 2-year-old "[requiring] two stitches to her lower abdomen for a 1-2 inch laceration." They also found "at least 25 bite marks all over [the girl's] body in different stages of healing consisting of bruising and fresh bite marks [that] were red from the skin being open."
Kachur admits her older son has bitten her daughter, and that when the large laceration happened, they were in the process of moving beds to separate the two children, as CYS instructed. She said the girl got hurt on a piece of metal on the bed frame.
"He pushed her. He got irritated and pushed her," Kachur said.
"Some are from him when he gets frustrated, or you know, but we moved her away from him, so nothing else happens," Kachur added.
In the complaint, investigators said at the home with CYS they found it "in complete disarray… [smelling] of cat urine and filth," with "animal feces on the floor… [and] on the wall," along with furniture turned upside down, and moldy food. They also said there were knives, a machete, and hammers at a level for children to reach.
"There was no feces. I promise you that. It was just clutter," Kachur said.
During the visit, officers said Alexander tested positive for THC in his system; however, he claimed to have a medical marijuana card. Kachur said she wants people to know she's been trying to remedy the situation for the sake of her children.
"They're painting me as a bad parent. I'm not, I'm not. I love my kids, I love my kids. They're my babies," Kachur said.
Kachur said her sister is currently taking care of her 6-year-old son. The other two children are in foster care with visitation.
The administrator for CYS in Washington County told KDKA-TV, "We cannot confirm nor deny involvement in any specific case."
