Police: Off-Duty Pa. State Trooper Shot Pepper Spray at Girlfriend's Son

Facing charges of child endangerment

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Ernest Boatright is charged with endangering the welfare of children and harassment after police said he shot pepper spray into the bedroom of his girlfriend's 13-year-old son.

According to court papers, Boatright found the teen still in bed when he was supposed to be in school, so he discharged his pepper spray in to the bedroom.

The criminal complaint said that the boy immediately began to cough, sneeze and suffer from runny eyes and nose. Police said that the boy knew he had been pepper-sprayed because Boatright had pepper-sprayed him before.