Courts. (Credit: LevittownNow.com)
An Abington Township couple, convicted in a disturbing child abuse case involving a waterboarding-style punishment, has been granted bail while they appeal their convictions and jail sentences, according to a report.
Aubrey and Gordon Ott, of the 2300 block of Patton Road in Abington, were released from the Montgomery County Correctional Facility on $100,000 unsecured bail each, following a decision by Judge Steven T. O’Neill on July 22.
The couple had been sentenced on June 27 to serve 6 to 23 months in county jail for their roles in an April 2024 incident involving Aubrey Ott’s 11-year-old daughter. Judge O’Neill also imposed an additional six years of probation, to follow after their parole, putting the couple under court supervision for a total of eight years. The Ott's had been ordered to report to jail by July 3, but their attorneys filed motions for bail pending appeal just days later, on June 30.
The incident occurred on April 29 during a weekend visit at the Otts’ Abington home. According to court testimony, Aubrey Ott instructed her daughter to lean her head back over a sink, placed a rag over the child’s face, pinched her nose, and poured water over the cloth, an act that caused the girl to struggle to breathe. The child testified she believed she was being punished for lying.
Her younger sister also testified during the non-jury trial, stating she overheard her stepfather, Gordon Ott, say, “This is what we did in the war,” to which Aubrey Ott allegedly replied, “OK, I’ll do it,” before taking the girl into the bathroom and closing the door. The next morning, the sisters were told to "just forget what happened last night."
The girl, who now lives with her biological father in the Pottstown area, reported the incident to him upon returning home, prompting him to alert police. The resulting investigation, led by Abington Detective Jeffrey Anderson, led to charges against the Otts.
During the April trial, Judge O’Neill, who served as both judge and factfinder, convicted Aubrey Ott, 38, of strangulation, child endangerment, simple assault, and conspiracy. Gordon Ott, 42, was convicted of conspiracy to commit those crimes. The judge found the child’s testimony credible and central to the guilty verdicts.
While free on bail during the appeal, the Otts face the possibility of returning to jail if their convictions are upheld by the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
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