Centre County judge tosses felony charges against Philipsburg parents in endangerment case
A Centre County judge dismissed charges last month against Philipsburg parents who were accused of not obtaining medical treatment for an injured child, siding with a defense lawyer who said they sought help for the infant without delay.
In an uncommon ruling made public Dec. 13, Centre County Judge Julia Rater wrote there wasn’t sufficient evidence to allow the prosecutions of Logan and Jordan Wilkinson to continue. They had each been charged in December 2023 with a felony count of child endangerment.
Defense lawyer Karen Muir said in a text message Friday to the Centre Daily Times that she was pleased with the decision, adding that Wilkinsons had been “living a nightmare.”
“They were charged with not getting medical care for their child which they adamantly deny,” Muir said. “The testimony from the Commonwealth’s experts at the hearing did not support the charges, and they were glad the Court recognized that. My clients breathed a sigh of relief that this is over and they can move forward, raising their child and getting back to a more normal existence.”
Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna told the CDT his office does not intend to appeal Rater’s decision.
Jordan N. Wilkinson, 27, was concerned about a rash she saw on the 10-week-old child in September 2023 and sent a photo to the child’s pediatrician, who recommended the child be brought in for examination. The child was seen the following day.
While there, Wilkinson showed the pediatrician bruising on the child’s neck, abdomen, forearm and wrist. The pediatrician ordered laboratory work and an X-ray to see what was “going on,” which the Wilkinsons immediately had performed.
The lab tests came back normal, but the X-ray showed healing fractures to five ribs. No treatment or medication was suggested, the pediatrician testified, because the fractures were healing and the child did not appear to be in distress.
After reviewing a separate report about bruising on the child’s penis, the child’s treating physician suspected child abuse and filed a report.
A child abuse specialist with Geisinger concluded the rib fractures and bruising on the child’s neck were a sign of non-accidental trauma, occurring from something like the child falling or being shaken or grabbed. Similar to the pediatrician, he did not recommend any treatment.
But due, in part, to the Wilkinsons seeking medical care for the child, two judges in Centre County expressed skepticism about the strength of the evidence put forward by county prosecutors.
At the end of a preliminary hearing in January 2024, District Judge Steven Lachman said “what I heard today is a long way from beyond a reasonable doubt.”
In her 13-page ruling, Rater said one argument put forward by Centre County prosecutors was a non sequitur while others did not follow the law.
“Neither physician testified that the child was harmed by any presumptive delay in medical treatment,” Rater wrote. “Therefore, even assuming that (the Wilkinsons) delayed seeking immediate medical attention for the child, it cannot be said that such a delay failed to protect the welfare of the child given that the child ultimately received medical attention from providers who did not render treatment for the condition or suggest that treatment would have been rendered if the fractured ribs were detected sooner.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 2:49 PM.