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Emily Laster, 30, of Sanatoga, has been charged with felony child endangerment, alongside her now ex-boyfriend, Steven Doughtery, 31, of Collingdale, who was arrested Tuesday, July 20 on similar charges, including aggravated assault, in the abuse case, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said.
Prosecutors determined that, while Laster did not cause the actual physical harm, she had a duty of care as a mom to protect her son, yet she continued to leave him in the sole care of Dougherty.
Authorities also announced that Dougherty, who had been freed after posting 10 percent of $10,000 bail, was ordered to be taken back into custody, after prosecutors filed a motion requesting an emergency bail review hearing, which was held Monday morning.
“Judge Walker heard the disturbing evidence in this case, as well as heard our argument that defendant Dougherty posed a danger to the victim and the community,” DA Steele said. “The defendant is now behind bars awaiting trial.”
Doughtery's preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 9, while Laster's court date is pending.
Investigators say Dougherty severely bruised the boy's penis and scrotum, as well as his abdomen, chest, eyelids, arms, and legs, and caused multiple bilateral fractures on 14 ribs.
The boy had been admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) on multiple occasions during the course of the abuse, which took place over several months last year, authorities said.
Since the boy’s release from CHOP on Nov. 23, 2021, he has been living with relatives and has not seen his mother or Dougherty as part of safety plan implemented by the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth, authorities said.
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