Toddler's hospital admission prompts Tobyhanna man's arrest for abuse, sex assault
Editor's note: The gender, age and relationship of the alleged victim to Alexander Talley has been withheld to protect their identity.
A toddler was admitted into Lehigh Valley Hospital with fractured bones and bruises Wednesday morning. A Tobyhanna man now sits in the Monroe County jail and faces charges that, if proven guilty, could result in a life sentence in prison.
Alexander Talley, 25, is accused of physically assaulting and sexually abusing the child. He brought the toddler to the hospital around 2 a.m. Wednesday with a fractured skull, a brain bleed, bruising to both ears and tears to their rectum, said Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief Chris Wagner.
The Lehigh Valley Health Network notified Monroe County Children and Youth of the child's condition Wednesday morning, and the county subsequently called the police. They interviewed physicians and secured a search warrant for Talley's Tobyhanna home.
Wagner declined to say what was found inside of the home, but added that the abuse is believed to have taken place late Tuesday night while the child was under Talley's care. Police arrested Talley after he arrived at the home mid-search.
Police will investigate potential past incidents of child abuse, given evidence of older healing injuries on the child's body, Wagner said.
They remain in the hospital under the custody of the Monroe County Children and Youth. Wagner said the brain bleed is "very serious" but couldn't provide specifics as to their treatment or medical outlook.
Talley faces 12 charges related to child sex abuse, aggravated assault, child endangerment, sexual assault, child corruption, indecent assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment.
One of the charges is "involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child causing serious injury," which can include oral sex, anal sex and penetration with a foreign object. The maximum penalty for this felony is life in prison, according to the state crime statute.
Talley remains in the Monroe County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 24 at 11 a.m. under judge Colleen Mancuso.
Hannah Phillips is the public safety reporter at Pocono Record. Reach her at hphillips@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Tobyhanna man accused of sexually abusing, assaulting toddler
