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Police: Man Goes Out Drinking, Left 7-Month Old Alone

UNIONTOWN (KDKA) – Police say a man went out drinking when he was supposed to be babysitting his seven-month old daughter.

21-year-old Brandon Russman was supposed to keep an eye on the baby at the Pershing Court apartment he shared with the child's mother.

"He did make a statement that he needed a break, he needed a drink," Uniontown Police Lt. Tom Kolencik says.

Police say he left the baby, went to a bar, and then went to a friend's house and drank some more.

Russman then allegedly showed up at the Parks Casino, the whole time the baby was home alone.

The baby's mother came home from work around 4 a.m.

Police say when she confronted Russman about his absence, he started beating her.

"He pushed her, went upstairs to get the baby, she followed, he pushed her again, grabbed her by the neck, he choked her until she couldn't breathe," Kolencik says.

Russman is in the Fayette County Jail on $20,000 cash bond.

He's facing charges for assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and harassment.

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