An Apollo man who served four years in state prison for strangling a 5-year-old has been accused of hitting a 10-year-old in the face so hard that bruises were still visible two days later.
Leland Joseph Latscha, 31, of Thorn Street was charged with felony counts of endangering the welfare of children and aggravated assault of a person under the age of 13 along with two counts of simple assault and one of reckless endangerment.
Latscha was being detained in the Armstrong County Jail in lieu of a $25,000 cash bond, court records show. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge James Andring on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
Police began investigating Latscha after receiving a report from Armstrong County Children, Youth & Family Services about the alleged incident that occurred on Sept. 25, according to a criminal complaint.
The county’s caseworker provide police with photos that showed “four very clear red marks consistent with an open hand strike,” the complaint said.
An officer who questioned the child in the presence of their mother said the marks were still visible two days after the alleged incident occurred, the complaint said.
During an Oct. 4 forensic interview at the Kay’s Cottage child advocacy center the child told investigators that the bruises on their face were the result of being hit by Latscha, the complaint said.
Latscha pleaded guilty in 2018 to felony counts of strangulation and endangering the welfare of children filed by Kiski police in connection with an incident involving a 5-year-old, the complaint said.
He was sentenced to four years in prison and release in 2021, court records show.
