Police: City Man Spanked Crying 2-Year-Old

A Bethlehem man is accused of grabbing his girlfriend by the neck and throwing her to the floor when she tried to get him to stop spanking their 2-year-old daughter too hard and excessively on Saturday, according to court records.

Joshua M. Bauder, 36, of 15 W. Spruce St., is facing two counts each of simple assault and harassment.

According to the criminal complaint:

• Bauder’s girlfriend, who lives also at the Spruce Street address, told police that Bauder began to spank their daughter because she was crying.
• She said he was spanking the girl excessively and with full force, so she tried to stop him and pull him off. Bauder responded by grabbing her by the neck and throwing her to the floor, which caused her to black out briefly. Bauder then left the home.
• Bauder told police that he spanked his daughter because she was screaming. His girlfriend grabbed him from behind and scratched him and he grabbed her to get her off of him.

Bauder was arraigned before on-duty District Justice David Tidd of Lower Saucon Township and committed to Northampton County Prison after failing to post $15,000 bail.