Man guilty of sponge attack on 5-year-old boy

A western Pennsylvania man shoved a sponge in a 5-year-old boy's mouth until he vomited and hit the boy in the head for not taking care of a pet crab.

Twenty-nine-year-old Robert Steindl Jr. faces a maximum of five years in prison when he's sentenced April 16 in Fayette County Common Pleas Court after pleading guilty to child endangerment and other charges.



Authorities aren't discussing Steindl's relationship to the boy, but defence attorney Patrick McDaniel says it is a "family situation" that has involved social service agencies.

He says Steindl has been receiving counselling since shortly after the incident in January 2008.