Background: A section of Cloverly Road in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Google Maps). Insets (from left to right): Maria Roche and William Witherspoon (Harrisburg Bureau of Police).
In a disturbing case from Pennsylvania, a woman allegedly forced children to decide their punishment between a gun or a belt, while her boyfriend reportedly found amusement in the situation, according to authorities.
Maria Roche, aged 31, faces charges including two counts of aggravated assault on victims under 13, two counts of endangering the welfare of children, and one count of simple assault. Her boyfriend, William Witherspoon, is charged with a single count of endangering the welfare of children.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Police reported that these charges stem from an investigation revealing that children in Roche and Witherspoon’s residence were subjected to being beaten with a belt, and that firearms in the home were used to threaten and harm the children.
On February 17, employees from Dauphin County Children and Youth Services visited the couple’s home on Cloverly Road in Harrisburg, prompted by a report from a 12-year-old. As detailed in court documents acquired by local Fox affiliate WPMT, Roche allegedly confessed to having guns in the house, leading the child services agency to alert the police.
On March 20, authorities stated that youth services interviewed two children from the home. One child recounted an incident where Roche allegedly instructed another child to retrieve a gun and then attempted to shoot one of their siblings in the head, missing and striking a wall instead.
Furthermore, Roche is accused of making the children choose between “the gun or the belt” as a form of punishment. Witherspoon is said to have watched the abuse unfold and laughed during these acts, according to police reports.
There were more allegations, police said, noting that one of the children pointed investigators to the firearms’ location under Roche’s bed. On one occasion, the woman allegedly shoved the barrel of a gun between the eyes of a child.
On another, a child reported being hit by a belt on his neck, arms, and back, according to WPMT.
Authorities did not note whether either Roche or Witherspoon were the kids’ parents.
Both defendants were arrested on Friday and booked into the Dauphin County Prison. Their case is listed as having been transferred on Monday; their next scheduled court date is unclear.
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania and is located in the central-south area of the state.
