Judge drops charges against father in child abuse case

WILKINSBURG, Pa. — A district justice dropped the charges against a local father on Thursday in connection with an abuse case against his 11-month-old son.

David Bryant was cleared of any wrongdoing, having the most serious charge – endangering the welfare of a child – dismissed, but he told Channel 11 News his fight is far from over.

“I'm kind of happy in a way. I'm just looking to get my son back,” Bryant said.

The key piece of evidence played in court was a cell phone video Bryant shot in September after receiving a text message allegedly from his ex-girlfriend, Dalishia Salter, that she had just abused their son.

Bryant said he raced to her Wilkinsburg home and found his son in a car seat on the back porch with a black eye and bruises on his face and head.

"I think that the judge - when she looked at the video - you could see it on her face when you hear David crying and just sobbing over his son's condition. The video, as he said, speaks for itself,” said Bryant’s attorney, Wendy Williams.

While the charges against Bryant were dismissed, the judge ruled there was enough evidence to hold all of the charges, including aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child against Salter.

Blaine Jones, Salter’s attorney, said his client is standing by her original story that her son was injured when Bryant got mad and knocked over a TV.

“My client said that the TV fell on the child and injured the child. It was constant from the moment she saw him to the moment that to the police station being interviewed for 45 minutes,” said Jones.

Police did not buy Salter’s story and actually charged her with filing a false report.

Bryant was ordered to stand trial on simple assault charges involving Salter.

The pair’s 11-month-old son remains in foster care.

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