CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa (WTAJ) — A Clearfield man is behind bars for allegedly abusing a child under the age of two.

Jeremy Sipe, 43, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault after a physician at UPMC Children’s Hospital determine injuries to the child’s face were from abuse.

On July 15, the child was taken to the emergency room for multiple injuries to the child’s face. Police interviewed the child’s mother on July 16 who told police that between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. she went outside to look for a dog and left Sipe inside alone with her child, according to a criminal complaint.

When she found the dog and was returning to the house, she saw Sipe walking outside with the child, rubbing its back. She called for him, but he didn’t respond, so she made her way toward him, according to the criminal complaint. The two eventually met inside the kitchen where the woman heard the child fussing and saw injuries to his face.

According to the woman, she asked Sipe what happened and he told her he tripped over the gate. She said “bulls*t, that didn’t happen” and asked what Sipe did to her baby’s face. Sipe told her that he didn’t do this and was dealing with this and left, according to the criminal complaint.

During the interview with the child’s mother, they asked if the child had previously fallen over the gate and she told police the gate has been pushed over a few times, but he’s never gotten hurt doing so.

On July 17, Sipe told police in an interview the dog had jumped the gate and gotten outside, so the woman went outside after it. Sipe further explained that he was in the kitchen when he heard a loud noise and found the child laying on top of the gate crying, according to the criminal complaint. Sipe told police the only injury he saw on the child was a lip injury and said it was not there before he fell over the gate.

According to police, Sipe also admitted that on the morning of the incident he had used meth and that he was the only one in the house when the child was injured. He denied doing anything to injure the child, according to the criminal complaint.

A physician from UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh was able to determine on July 20 that the child had multiple injuries which could not have been caused by the child falling over the gate. According to the criminal complaint, the physician found the following injuries: numerous bruises on the left side of the head and face extending to the child’s hairline, bruises on the upper and lower eyelid, noticeable red marks, left upper lip with swelling and bruising and significant bruising to the left nostril. There was also bruising beneath the right eye and a small bruise on the right side of the child’s neck.

Sipe is in Clearfield County Prison after being unable to post $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 10.