HONESDALE, PA — A.G. Howell, Wayne County District Attorney, announced the arrest of  Ethan Riggs, Lake Township, for Aggravated Assault of a child (F1) and  Endangering the Welfare of a Child (F2).  

The affidavit of Probable Cause filed by Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Michael  Collins of the Honesdale Barracks stated the following: 

On December 12, 2022, at about 11:30 a.m., responded to a residence in Lake  Township for an unresponsive one-year-old child. The baby was transported to  Geisinger Community Medical Center and then to Danville Geisinger. The baby was operated on for a brain bleed caused by a strong blow to the left side of the baby’s head. Initially, the defendant and other family members did not give any explanation for the head injuries. During interviews, the defendant told the investigating troopers that he pushed the child causing the child to hit his head and allegedly had a seizure.  

The defendant is held in the Wayne County Correctional Facility with bail set at $100,000.  

*The filing of criminal charges is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Commonwealth against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the Commonwealth has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant enters a guilty plea to the charges.