CLARION CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Clarion woman accused of filing false reports of child abuse against a local coach is scheduled to stand for a special plea hearing in court today.
According to court documents, 58-year-old Tammy Lauren Kellogg is scheduled to stand for a special plea hearing in front of Senior Judge James G. Arner at 1:30 p.m. on November 16.
She faces the following charges:
– False Reports of Child Abuse, Misdemeanor 2
– False Reports — Reported Offense Did Not Occur, Misdemeanor 3
Kellogg is currently free on $100.00 unsecured bail.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred at a local youth football game in September of 2019.
Details of the case:
According to a criminal complaint, on November 22, Chief Robert Malnofsky, of the New Bethlehem Borough Police Department, received a written statement from Tammy Kellogg detailing her accounts of an alleged child abuse case.
In her written statement, Kellogg reported that a known juvenile had been assaulted by his coach during a football game on September 21, detailing that the coach grabbed the juvenile by the shoulder pads and yanked the juvenile in front of him.
Chief Malnofsky spoke to the known juvenile’s mother on November 26.
According to the complaint, the juvenile’s mother reported that she was at the football game in question and had asked the coach to walk her son off the field to make sure that Tammy Kellogg “did not grab” him. She reported that Kellogg moved to the side that the juvenile was on, and the coach noticed and grabbed the juvenile to move him away from Kellogg.
The complaint notes that when asked if the coach assaulted her son, the mother replied: “He was doing what we asked him to do” and stated there had been “a history” with Kellogg, and they previously had a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order against her.
Chief Malnofsky spoke to the juvenile and his father on November 27.
According to the complaint, the juvenile gave a written statement that reported that he was leaving the field with his coach when his coach pulled him to the opposite side before taking him to his mother.
The complaint states that when asked if his coach had injured him when he pulled him, the juvenile stated he had not.
According to the complaint, the juvenile’s father stated he was not able to attend the game in question, but he went on to state he had asked the coach to watch his son and walk him off the field to keep him from Kellogg and to keep Kellogg from “grabbing him and making a scene” and said the coach had agreed to do so.
The coach was interviewed on November 29.
According to the complaint, the coach reported he was asked by the juvenile’s father to keep his son from getting grabbed by Kellogg. He said as he was escorting the juvenile off the field, he saw Kellogg on the right side of the gate and moved to the right side of the juvenile and put his arm around him to walk him to his mother.
The complaint notes a statement was also obtained from a known witness who was standing near the gate at the time of the incident. The witness reported the coach had his arm around the juvenile, but “that’s all he did,” and said no assault took place.
On December 6, Chief Malnofsky called Kellogg to let her know the investigation was complete and would be closed. He explained that all parties were interviewed and statements were obtained and told Kellogg there was no assault on the juvenile.
According to the complaint, Kellogg then stated “she was a former law enforcement officer, and she knows what an assault is” and said she would “file with the juvenile authorities.”
On December 9, Chief Malnofsky received a Child Line Report of Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect referred by Kellogg regarding the same alleged incident, but she failed to report her own role in the incident, according to the complaint.
Charges against Kellogg were filed in Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey C. Miller’s office on January 7.
Kellogg was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey C. Miller at 11:30 a.m. on January 22.
