A judge found two young sisters not guilty after their borough prosecuted them for a broken swing.
Katie Huss’s daughters, ages 10 and 12, were charged with criminal mischief by officials in Springdale, a borough northeast of Pittsburgh, after a swing chain snapped while they and several other children were playing on it at Veterans Memorial Park on May 21st. The borough accused the girls of damaging public property. Their mother maintained from the start that the swing broke by accident.
The game the children were playing involved two kids sitting on the swing while others twisted it so the riders would spin and get dizzy. During the game, one of the chains gave way and the children fell to the ground. Huss said her daughters told her what had happened when she picked them up from the park.
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As originally reported, the case went before a judge, who ultimately ruled in the girls’ favor. The borough could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the sisters intended to damage the swing. Without that intent, the criminal mischief charges did not hold up.
But the ordeal may not be over for the family. Huss said she is concerned the borough could still come after them in civil court.
The case drew significant public attention and backlash, with many questioning why local officials chose to pursue criminal charges against two children over a broken piece of playground equipment. Critics argued the prosecution was excessive given the circumstances, particularly since multiple children were involved in the same activity when the swing failed.
Springdale is a small borough in Allegheny County, northeast of Pittsburgh. Veterans Memorial Park, where the incident took place, is borough-owned public property, which is why officials framed the broken swing as damage to public assets.
The not-guilty verdict closed the criminal chapter of the case, but Huss’s concern about potential civil action suggests the family’s legal exposure may not be fully resolved. No further action by the borough had been confirmed at the time of reporting.
