Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced Sept. 8 a sentence for a former KidsPeace employee who injured a juvenile by breaking the victim’s fingers.

Kellin Jesse Miller, 30, of Whitehall, was charged in 2025 and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of children and simple assault.

In a hearing before Judge Robert L. Steinberg, Miller was sentenced to 60 months of probation.

According to Holihan, Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office had asked for a jail sentence for the defendant, but Steinberg refused and imposed a sentence below both the mitigated and standard range for sentencing guidelines for an assault on a child and ordered no jail time.

The defendant will remain free on probation.

Miller is no longer employed at the KidsPeace facility located at 5300 KidsPeace Drive in North Whitehall Township.

According to the report, on July 11, 2025, Pennsylvania State Police and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office were called to investigate a report of suspected abuse at the facility.

The victim is a 10-year-old boy. His name will not be released.

At the time of the assault, he was receiving inpatient care at KidsPeace.

The victim’s parents told police June 20, 2025, they discovered the boy had fingers on both hands broken. The injuries required surgery to repair. The victim was eventually removed from KidsPeace.

The entire assault was captured on surveillance videos that were played at the hearing, according to Holihan.

An investigation was conducted and determined that while working at the facility, Miller was tasked with supervising the victim during the period of time when the injuries were inflicted.

Video surveillance from KidsPeace showed the assault, as Miller was alone with the victim and appeared to intentionally bend the victim’s fingers in an unnatural way while attempting to restrain him. After the assault, the victim appeared to show immediate signs of pain and distress, Holihan said.

Miller was also a mandated reporter of child abuse and neglect yet failed to report the victim’s injuries after they occurred, Holihan added.

According to the report, the victim suffered for nearly two days without medical attention because Miller allegedly failed to report his inappropriate restraint of the child, as required by policy and law. The victim was finally treated when his parents found out about the assault.

Miller was arrested after the conclusion of the investigation but was free on bail until his sentencing, Holihan said.

This case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sara A. Moyer and was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Ryan Cordingly.