Man to trial on charges he extracted autistic child's teeth

NORRISTOWN, PA -- An eastern Pennsylvania man must stand trial on charges he beat and forcibly removed the teeth of his girlfriend's 4-year-old autistic son while babysitting.

The defense attorney for 27-year-old Nicholas Kernechel didn't immediately return a call for comment Friday, but has called the child's injuries "an unfortunate accident" caused when the boy fell and hit a bedside table.

The (West Chester) Daily Local News reports the East Greenville man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday on charges including aggravated assault and child endangerment.

Kernechel was arrested last month after an investigation that began in July. That's when the child's mother brought the boy to Upper Perkiomen police with "severe" facial injuries and three missing teeth.

A subsequent medical examination determined his "teeth were pulled out." The boy told police Kernechel did that, but didn't specify how.