He confessed to shooting a child with a pellet. Now he wants to withdraw his guilty plea

A Philipsburg man asked to withdraw his guilty plea to child endangerment charges after allegedly hitting a 13-year-old with a ricocheted pellet, according to the Centre County District Attorney's office.

The Centre Daily Times previously reported Dean Vaughn, 27, confessed that he and the child were taking turns shooting at a target in Philipsburg in August.

Vaughn was 15 feet away from the target when he shot. The pellet ricocheted and hit the child who was 3 feet from the target, according to police.

Centre County Children and Youth Services contacted the doctor who treated the child at UPMC Altoona trauma center. The doctor said the pellet penetrated the child about two-and-a-half inches above his right hip and became lodged between the child's kidney and liver.

No decision was made about Vaughn's request to withdraw his guilty plea, according to the district attorney's office.

Vaughn is charged with misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. He is also charged with a summary count of harassment.

This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 7:20 PM with the headline "He confessed to shooting a child with a pellet. Now he wants to withdraw his guilty plea."