A Bedford County couple are behind bars after a state police and child welfare services investigation into substantial bruising on a 2-year-old girl.

Brianna Leah Clark, 24, and Austin Stephen Peters, 26, both of Six Mile Run, were each arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Brian K. Baker on a felony count of endangering the welfare of children. Peters was also charged with a misdemeanor count of simple assault.

Neither were able to post their respective $100,000 cash bails and were remanded to the Bedford County Correctional Facility.

Their preliminary hearings are set for July 9 before Baker.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, police and Bedford County Children and Youth Services responded on June 5 to a home on the 100 block of Brewster Hollow Road, Broad Top Township, for a report of bruising on a young child. There, police saw bruising on the child’s face from her ear, inside her hairline and down to the bottom of her jaw.

Peters, who told police he is dating Clark, the child’s mother, allegedly admitted that he smacks the victim’s butt when she misbehaves and he smacks her fingers. He said he smacked her on June 3 because she bit him. He told police that he smacked her butt and her mouth, said that he was angry and allegedly admitted to having alcohol in his system, the report states.

Clark told police that Peters has anger issues and claimed the child had an accident involving a coffee table and bench, which caused the bruising on her face.

The child was taken to UPMC Bedford for an evaluation of the bruising. It was at the hospital that a doctor discovered bruising along the child’s buttocks, police reported. It was noted the bruising showed layered areas in different stages of healing.

Clark and Peters told the doctor the bruising was most likely from the child falling, but also stated they do smack her when she misbehaves, the report states.

Police interviewed a witness on June 9. The witness said she brought wine coolers for Peters and Clark and that Peters had about six of them during the evening of June 3, while they were at the witness’ house.

The witness said when the child woke up and wouldn’t go back to sleep, Peters became mad and frustrated, grabbed the child by the arm, flipped her around, pulled her pants down and “started to wail on her butt” until her bottom became bright red.

The witness said Clark came back into the room at that point and both Clark and Peters said the child bit Peters when he was smacking her. The witness said Peters then began to hit the child on the right side of her face multiple times, the affidavit states.

The witness told police the child was crying and had a bloody nose.

When police interviewed Clark on June 10 at the state police barracks, she claimed to have never witnessed Peters lay a hand on the child and said the bruising on the girl’s face came from their big dogs knocking her down. She also claimed that she has seen Peters “tap” the child on the butt and put her in time out. During the June 3 incident, she said Peters told her to handle the child because he was intoxicated and didn’t want to deal with her. In addition to stating that Peters did not hit the child on the night in question, she tried to implicate the witness and accused the witness of hitting the child, according to the affidavit.

Police also interviewed Peters on June 10 at the state police barracks. At that time, he claimed he never touched the child on June 3, stating he was asleep on the couch. He told police the only marks on the victim were from an accident she had from hitting a bench/coffee table. He also said the marks on her butt were from their large dogs knocking her over, or they were from her jumping on the beds. Peters continually denied laying a hand on the child, according to the report.

Police said due to the conflicting stories from Clark and Peters and due to the child’s bruising in various stages of healing, the duo were arrested and charged.