Montco Man Who Allegedly Ripped Out Child's Teeth Sentenced To Prison

A Montgomery County man who authorities say severely beat a 4-year-old boy, including ripping out several of his teeth, has been sentenced to state prison.

Nicholas Kernechel, 28, of East Greenville was sentenced to two to 10 years in state prison on charges of simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person, and false reporting, Philly.com reported.

Kernechel was watching his girlfriend’s son on July 18, 2015 when he allegedly beat him and ripped three of his teeth out, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney.

After the alleged beating, Kernechel left the boy in his bed, bleeding and crying, and did not tell the boy’s mother about the injuries when she returned home the next morning. The boy’s mother found the boy the next morning, asleep on the floor, lying on a pile of dried blood, according to the DA.

The boy is autistic and was apparently not doing what Kernechel wanted him to do, CBS Philly reported at the time.

The mother reported the abuse to the Upper Perkiomen Police Department, the DA said.

When authorities arrived, the 4-year-old boy had “severe” facial and dental injuries, including an extremely swollen lip and a bloody upper gum line, according to the DA. The boy was also missing three of his upper teeth, the DA said.

The investigation determined that the boy had suffered additional injuries dating back to April 2015, including bite marks and other injuries, the DA said. The boy told authorities that Kernechel was the one responsible.