WEST CHESTER, PA — The Chester County District Attorney’s Office announced that a jury found Kenneth Cole, 43, of Coatesville, guilty of endangering the welfare of a child and resisting arrest after a 2019 incident where he used his child to shield himself from police after a domestic violence incident. He will be sentenced at a later date.
DA Deb Ryan said, “This is an unimaginable act of cowardice and danger for the defendant to use his own son as a shield to protect himself from police. We are grateful that the defendant’s son was not hurt. We also thank the jury for their just verdict and the time they spent deliberating on this case.”
On May 23, 2019, Coatesville City Police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance on Rosemont Avenue in Coatesville. When the police arrived, the defendant retreated into the house and stood at the top of the stairs with his 11-year-old son nearby. After refusing to comply with numerous orders from the police, the defendant pulled the child in front of him as a shield from the taser and firearm that police had pointed at him.
When the defendant was finally handcuffed, he resisted efforts by law enforcement and EMS to load him into a vehicle.
Judge Jacqueline Cody presided over the trial. Coatesville City Police investigated and Assistant District Attorneys Kathleen Wright and Christian Hernandez were the assigned prosecutors.
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