A Gallupville man was arrested on assault charges Thursday after allegedly pulling out three of an eight-year-old's permanent teeth with pliers.
An investigation into the forcible extraction of three of the child's permanent teeth led to the arrest of Steven D. Walker, 34, according to the Cobleskill State Police.
Mr. Walker was charged with two counts of felony assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, after a brief investigation, police said.
Initially, the victim had complained of mouth pain at school, police added. The child was examined by her regular dentist who noted that three of her previously observed permanent teeth had been forcibly extracted. The dentist reported the incident to Schoharie County Child Protective Services, who in turn contacted the State Police.
A joint investigation was conducted which included examinations of the victim by both a State Police forensic odontologist and an oral surgeon, according to police.
The eight-year-old mentally handicapped victim is the foster child of Mr. Walker and was removed from the home at the onset of the investigation, police said.
Police allege that the teeth were forcibly removed from the victim with a plier-type implement.
Mr. Walker was arraigned in the Town of Richmondville court and sent to jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $5,000 bond to return to Wright court on November 25, police said.