Police: Chambersburg man, 28, charged with assaulting child in West Manheim Township

A Chambersburg man is facing felony charges of aggravated assault in West Manheim Township after police say he smacked a child for "cussing," according to court records.

Aaron Lawyer, 28, of Chambersburg, has been charged by police with felony counts of aggravated assault on a child and endangering the welfare of a child, as well as a misdemeanor count of simple assault and two summary counts of harassment, according to court documents filed on Thursday.

Lawyer was briefly detained in York County Prison but was released after posting $20,000 bail.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by West Manheim Township police, officers were called to a West Manheim Township home on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.

When they arrived, they learned that Lawyer was giving his two children, a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old, a bath when, as he described to officers, he intended to "lightly smack" the 4-year old for "cussing," according to the affidavit.

Lawyer told officers that the smack was "harder than he intended it to be," the affidavit states.

The child's mother told officers that she was in another room of the house when she heard a "loud smack" and then found the 4-year-old in the bathroom with the injury, according to the affidavit.

Officers observed the child's face to have a large bruise on the right cheek, which was discolored, swollen and puffy, and the cheek looking distended and abnormally raised, the affidavit states.

Police then observed a red mark on the upper arm of the 3-year-old, which officers state "looked like a pressure mark consistent with being grabbed," according to the affidavit.

The case was reviewed by the York County District Attorney's office, the affidavit states, which approved the charges.

A preliminary hearing for Lawyer is set for Oct. 3, 2024.

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Police: Chambersburg man, 28, charged with assaulting child in West Manheim Township