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LEHMAN TWP. — Township police charged a man after a year-long investigation into how a 5-year-old girl suffered critical burns resulting in permanent scarring of her legs.
Jesus Manuel Vargas, 31, of Country Crest Lane, was negligent in failing to provide adult supervision as the girl was near a fire outside his residence on June 28, 2021, according to court records.
Police in court records say the girl was initially transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township, and then transferred to Lehigh Valley Hospital Regional Burn Center near Allentown where she underwent skin graft surgical procedures.
Vargas was allegedly intoxicated when the girl suffered burns.
A physician noted in a medical report the girl’s injuries were most consistent with a firework explosion, and another physician reported the injuries were “adult supervisory neglect and child neglect,” court records say.
Vargas was arraigned by District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz in Pittston on three counts of endangering the welfare of children and one count each of aggravated assault and simple assault. He was released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
Vargas maintained he did not know how the girl was burned.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police responded to Vargas’ residence on a report a girl suffered burns to her legs, elbows, hands and hair and Vargas “being very aggressive” refusing to allow the mother take the girl to a hospital.
The mother told police her daughter told her Vargas, “threw something into the flame,” the complaint says.
Vargas allegedly told police he had a fire and played basketball when the girl “threw something,” and the fire got bigger before an explosion. Vargas said he jumped on the girl, picked her up and ran her into a bathroom placing her in the shower.
Vargas claimed the situation “wasn’t as bad as it was,” the complaint says.
Police in the complaint say the girl underwent skin graft procedures that resulted in permanent scarring on her legs.