Mom raises questions after young daughters charged with criminal mischief over broken swing

SPRINGDALE, Pa. — Katie Huss said her 10- and 12-year-old daughters were playing with other children at Veterans Memorial Park in Springdale when a swing broke.

According to Huss, two children were on the swing while others twisted it to make them dizzy, causing the chains to snap and the swing to fall.

Shortly after, Huss said her daughters were charged with criminal mischief.

"They were super scared," Huss said. "They're good little girls. They go out, and they play. They're 10 and 12. They're not doing anything crazy," Huss said.

Huss said she was surprised by the charges but not entirely shocked. She said that after the swing broke, police came to her home and asked her to pay for the repairs. When she requested evidence that her daughters intentionally broke the swing and proof that the park equipment had been inspected beforehand, Huss said she was warned that the situation could escalate.

"They made a comment that they are just trying to resolve this civilly, and not jam the kids up with a citation or criminal charges," Huss said.

In response to the case, the Springdale Police Chief and Borough solicitor stated, "The Department would never issue an ultimatum of 'pay for the damage or your children will be charged.' We simply don't operate that way."

The department added that their approach was consistent among the five juveniles involved in the incident, dividing the damage equally and offering an opportunity to resolve the matter through restitution rather than continuing juvenile proceedings.

Huss refused to pay, and eventually her girls went to court, where a Springdale police officer testified that the girls were not using the swing properly. Additionally, Springdale Borough Solicitor Craig Alexander told the judge, "People do things all the time for the thrill to get a kick out of something and knowing that they're breaking the law."

Ultimately, according to Huss and borough officials, the girls were found not responsible because there was no evidence of intent. However, Huss expressed concern that the matter might not be over, as she was informed the borough is considering filing a civil case.

"I'm still waiting to find out if they're going to escalate it further as they promised," Huss said. "I'm not going to give in."

Huss said she is mostly disappointed in how the broken swing was handled.

"I would even have expected, like, a warning for them to come and talk to the kids and tell them this isn't how we intend for you guys to play on the swings, just be more careful — you know, a warning or something. I never thought it was going to turn into actual crime charges against my children," Huss said.

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