Fayette County man ordered to jail without bond on accusations of severely abusing toddler

Paul Peirce, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Jan. 13—A 26-year-old Fayette County man is accused of severely abusing his 20-month-old daughter, police said.

Keith A. Kalbaugh is being held without bond in the county prison after state police arrested him Wednesday. His daughter remains in the intensive care unit of a West Virginia hospital.

Kalbaugh was arraigned Wednesday night on six counts of aggravated assault on a child and two counts each of child endangerment, simple assault and unlawful restraint filed by state troopers in Uniontown.

According to Trooper Wyatt Tidholm, police were dispatched Monday to Kalbaugh's home on the 200 block of Hardin Hollow Road in Georges Township to investigate a report of an unresponsive toddler.

Tidholm said emergency responders found the girl pale and dirty with no pulse. Police said the child was "ice cold" to the touch.

Police said lifesaving measures were performed and the child was initially treated at Uniontown Hospital and then transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va.

Doctors at Ruby told state police investigators that the girl was underweight and hypothermic. Tidholm said doctors also said the girl was in severe renal failure and emaciated as a result of "severe neglect."

Police said they spoke with Kalbaugh, the girl's biological father, who told them he did not know the last time the girl was seen by a medical professional, had a check-up or was medically evaluated.

Tidholm said Kalbaugh told troopers the girl sleeps and stays in a playpen all day and Kalbaugh spends his time in his own bedroom playing online computer games.

Police reported the home was in "a deplorable state" with large amounts of debris and trash both inside and out.

Tidholm said Kalbaugh's three-year-old girl was also removed from the home.

District Judge Daniel Shimshock denied Kalbaugh bond noting on court dockets that he believed he is a threat to the public and due to the "severity" of the complaints.

Kalbaugh has a preliminary hearing scheduled Jan. 26.

Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@triblive.com or via Twitter .