Police: Pa. pastor, wife endangered underfed child

MOUNT JEWETT, Pa. (AP) — State police have charged a northwestern Pennsylvania pastor and his wife with endangering their 9-year-old daughter, who told investigators she was underfed because she wasn't allowed to eat until she correctly finished her math homework while being homeschooled.

The defense attorney for 42-year-old Mark and 40-year-old Susan Hooper, of Mount Jewett, didn't immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Thursday. The couple faces an April 8 preliminary hearing on a charge of child endangerment. The Hoopers didn't immediately return a phone message left at their church, Cobb Street Baptist, in Johnsonburg, and their home phone was repeatedly busy.

Police say they investigated and filed charges after the girl ran away from home last month. Police say the girl weighed only 31 pounds, well below normal for her age, and has the bone structure of a 5-year-old.