Foster Mother Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Child in Her Care in North Whitehall Township

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

A 49-year-old North Whitehall Township woman has pleaded guilty to injuring a one-year-old girl. Brenda Broadwater, 49, was a foster mother to the child, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan.

“The investigation determined Broadwater pushed a blanket into J.K.’s mouth, then left the child alone and improperly restrained in a stroller,” according to the DA.

Here are the facts, from the District Attorney’s statement:

Dec. 3, 2024

District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced a North Whitehall Township woman pleaded guilty to charges that she asphyxiated and strangled a 1-year-old girl under her care as a foster mother.

Brenda Broadwater, DOB 5/12/1975, pleaded guilty today to charges of Aggravated Assault – Victim less than 13, a felony of the first degree; and Endangering the Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian Commits Offense, a felony of the second degree.

Broadwater pleaded guilty to the charges in a hearing before Judge Robert L. Steinberg. She is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 26, 2025. The agreement calls for a minimum sentence capped at 36 months in state prison.

On Jan. 26, 2024, Pennsylvania State Police received a call from the Lehigh County Communications Center about a 1-year-old girl, identified as J.K, in cardiac arrest at Broadwater’s home at 4149 Coplay Creek Road in North Whitehall Township.

J.K. was not breathing when troopers arrived and they conducted CPR as the child was taken to Lehigh Valley Health Network – Reilly Children’s Hospital Emergency Room for advanced medical care, where she was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

The 911 call revealed that at approximately 7:41 p.m., a male caller said J.K. was playing in a stroller and got a strap wrapped around her neck.

Broadwater was the foster mother of J.K., as well as two other children at the home.

J.K. was diagnosed with a mild anoxic brain injury resulting expressive aphasia and ataxia, in the setting of strangulation.

J.K.’s injuries included verbal, speech, and coordination deficits that will require various types of rehabilitation and therapies.

The investigation determined Broadwater pushed a blanket into J.K.’s mouth, then left the child alone and improperly restrained in a stroller. Ligature marks to J.K.’s neck and injuries to her lower lip were documented.

The case was investigated by Trooper Taylor Dietrich and was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sara A. Moyer and Kristi Green.