MILFORD, PA —Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin announced a guilty verdict in a child abuse case from a Pike County jury in Pike County Court last week. The jury convicted Timothy Paul Lawrence Jones, age 48, of Bushkill, Pennsylvania, of a series of crimes related to the strangulation, physical assault, terrorizing and intimidation of a minor over a period of years from 2019 to 2022. The jury convicted Jones of strangulation of a household member, false imprisonment, intimidation in a child abuse case, endangering the welfare of a children, terroristic threats, two counts, possession of instruments of crime, two counts, and simple assault, six counts.

The testimony at trial demonstrated abuse by Jones of a minor child over several years. These incidents ranged from two separate incidents of strangulation of the minor where the child was lifted off the ground by his neck, to tying the minor up with zip ties, then using pliers to twist the fingers of the minor, along with numerous instances of assault. When authorities began to investigate the abuse, Jones threatened the minor not to tell child abuse investigators the truth about the abuse otherwise his younger siblings would grow up in foster care and the minor victim would be sent back to his biological mother where he had been sexually abused previously. The assaults by Jones upon the minor over the period of time from 2019 to 2022, including punching the victim in the face and knocking the victim unconscious. When the victim disclosed the fact that the defendant was having an affair, the defendant threatened to break his jaw so that he couldn’t speak.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alec Colquhoun who commented after the verdict: “For years the defendant was able to hide the truth of his abuse through manipulation, intimidation, control, and violence against the victim. There was always a severe consequence for the victim every time he came forward and told the truth. That cycle of violence ends today. Now it is the defendant who will face the consequences for what he did.”

Tonkin praised the team effort of the district attorney’s office to investigate the case, present the case at trial and to support the victim through the entire process. “The teamwork between Assistant District Attorney Alec Colquhoun, Chief County Detective Molly Carson, and the victim support staff at Dickson House Children’s Advocacy Center showed what can be done to hold child abusers accountable, while supporting victims to start to rebuild their lives after a long period of abuse. Our team will continue this work to keep children safe in Pike County,” stated Tonkin.

After the verdict, President Judge Gregory H. Chelak revoked the bail previously set and Jones will be held at the Pike County Correctional Facility pending sentencing. Jones will face a substantial prison sentence when sentence is imposed, given the felony charges he was convicted of committing.