Acting Erie County District Attorney, Michael J. Flaherty, Jr., announced that twenty-nine year old Steven D. Scroger has pleaded guilty as charged to two counts of Assault in the Second Degree before the Honorable John L. Michalski. The defendant pleaded to the highest sustainable charges for which he could have been convicted had he gone to trial.

On February 16, 2016, the defendant shot his fiancé’s children, who were six and four years old, multiple times with a BB gun on their legs, arm, and torso. Several days later, the biological father of the children noticed markings on their body when the children were brought to his home. Both children were thereafter brought to the hospital.

Acting DA Flaherty commends Detectives Shaun Hediger, John Graham, Matthew Noecker and Gregory McCarthy of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation.

Scroger was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on April 27, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. by Judge Michalski for these crimes, where he faces up to fourteen years in state prison.

The case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jeremy V. Murray of the Special Victims Bureau.