'Gun or the belt': Woman made children choose what item she would beat them with as her boyfriend watched and 'laughed,' police say

Background: A section of Cloverly Road in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Google Maps). Insets (from left to right): Maria Roche and William Witherspoon (Harrisburg Bureau of Police).

A Pennsylvania woman made children choose between being punished with a gun or a belt as her boyfriend watched and laughed, authorities say.

Maria Roche, 31, stands charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a victim less than 13 years of age, two counts of endangering the welfare of children, and one count of simple assault. William Witherspoon has been charged with one count of endangering the welfare of children.

According to the Harrisburg Bureau of Police, the charges were a result of an investigation into Roche and Witherspoon "where children in their house were experiencing being beaten with a belt," and guns in the home "were used to threaten and strike the children."

Dauphin County Children and Youth Services employees visited the defendants' home on Cloverly Road in Harrisburg on Feb. 17 after receiving a report from a 12-year-old child, per charging documents obtained by regional Fox affiliate WPMT. During this visit, Roche allegedly admitted to keeping guns in the home, and the child services agency contacted police.

Youth services employees interviewed two of the kids in the home on March 20, authorities said. One of them reportedly said that Roche asked a child to go get a gun and then she attempted to shoot one of their siblings in the head, but the shot missed and hit a nearby wall.

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Roche is also accused of forcing the children to choose between "the gun or the belt" when she punished them. Witherspoon allegedly watched the abuse and "laughed" as Roche handed down her punishments, according to police.

There were more allegations, police said, noting that one of the children pointed investigators to the firearms' location under Roche's bed. On one occasion, the woman allegedly shoved the barrel of a gun between the eyes of a child.

On another, a child reported being hit by a belt on his neck, arms, and back, according to WPMT.

Authorities did not note whether either Roche or Witherspoon were the kids' parents.

Both defendants were arrested on Friday and booked into the Dauphin County Prison. Their case is listed as having been transferred on Monday; their next scheduled court date is unclear.

Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania and is located in the central-south area of the state.