Woman Says She'll Go to Jail to Protect Grandson: Police

A 66-year-old Bethlehem woman is facing a felony charge after telling police she would sooner go to jail than reveal the whereabouts of her 15-year-old grandson, who accused his father of assaulting him.

So far, the woman, who Patch is not naming to protect the identity of her grandson, has not gone to jail. She was released on $20,000 unsecured bail after being arraigned Thursday on a charge of concealing the whereabouts of a child before District Judge James Narlesky.

One of the conditions of her bail was to cooperate with police or Northampton County Children & Youth to return the child to his legal guardian, his father.

According to a police affidavit:

• The woman brought her grandson to St. Luke’s University Hospital on Aug. 31 for the alleged assault that had occurred the previous day.

• Colonial Regional Police and Northampton County Children & Youth were called to the hospital and determined early Monday that there were no visible signs of assault to the boy.

• Children & Youth decided that the child should be returned to his father. Instead, the boy left the hospital with his grandmother. The father called police to report that his son had not been brought home.

• Bethlehem Police visited the grandmother at her home and she told them that the child was in a safe place, but would not reveal his location.

• Colonial Regional Police called the woman to tell her that she could face criminal charges if she didn’t provide the boy’s whereabouts. “She said she would go to jail any day to protect the juvenile.”

• On Tuesday, the Northampton County District Attorney’s office recommended filing charges against the woman, if she did not reveal the boy’s whereabouts.

• Police called her again “and she stated that she didn’t know where he was and that she would go to jail before [she] would tell the police where he was.”

At the time the paperwork was filed, the boy had still not been returned to the father. It is not clear if he has since.