Ohio – An Ohio woman was taken into custody and charged with two counts of endangering chiIdren after deputies say she bou nd the hands of her two chiIdren, 4 and 5, with rope, pushed them down a flight of st airs and struck one of them with a beIt, causing injuries that required a hospital stay. Court records show the parent, 28-year-old D. PhiIIips, was booked into the County Justice Center and a judge set bond at $50,000, straight.
Law enforcement reports and court affidavits reviewed by local news outlets describe the alleged abuse as having occurred at the family’s Ohio home. Investigators say the victims are a 4-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. According to the affidavits, the children told trained interviewers that the parent tied their wrists with rope and pushed each child down a flight of stairs inside the residence. The girl was also allegedly struck multiple times with a beIt and admitted to the hospital overnight for treatment of her injuries.
The criminal investigation began after concerns about the children’s welfare prompted an official response. Deputies interviewed the children with the help of a licensed social worker at the Center for Safe and Healthy Children, where each child disclosed the abuse during forensic interviews, according to court documents. Detectives then compiled statements, medical records and other evidence before submitting the case to the county prosecutor, who authorized felony charges of child endangering. The parent allegedly struck her child numerous times with a beIt, causing serious physical injury which required the child to be admitted overnight to a hospital.
Court filings and media reports indicate that the parent spoke with a social worker from the County Job and Family Services and admitted causing the injuries to her daughter, characterizing the conduct as her “normal discipline.” That admission is included in the affidavits used to support the charges. Public reporting does not include a verbatim, recorded interview with police in full; the factual summaries in charging documents and prosecutor statements form the basis for what has been released so far.
At the scene, officers and child welfare personnel would have followed established procedures to protect the children and preserve evidence: separating the children from the alleged offender, obtaining medical attention for injured children, documenting visible injuries, and arranging forensic interviews through a child advocacy center. Medical treatment for the 5-year-old and the children’s disclosures to a trained social worker are among the key evidentiary elements cited by prosecutors when seeking charges.
Charges in child endangering cases rest on a combination of physical evidence, medical records, witness statements and the statements of the victims, particularly when young children are involved. In this case prosecutors point to the children’s disclosures during forensic interviews and the woman’s alleged admission to a social worker that she caused the injuries and considered the actions normal discipline. Those elements were listed in the affidavits that accompanied the arrest and charging decision.
During a brief court appearance following her arrest, a judge set the woman’s bond at $50,000 straight and ordered that she have no contact with the children, according to local reporting. The case is now in the prosecutorial and pretrial phase; prosecutors will review evidence further, and defense counsel will have the opportunity to respond in court. If the case proceeds to trial, medical records, forensic interview transcripts and the statements attributed to the woman and to the children will be entered into the record and subject to examination by both sides.
Neighbors and community members were reported as concerned and disturbed by the allegations, and officials reminded anyone with relevant information to contact the Sheriff’s Office. Because the case involves young victims, many of the detailed records — including full interview transcripts, medical reports and police body-camera footage, if any — are not routinely released to the public in order to protect the children’s privacy; prosecutors and police will release additional details through formal filings and statements as the case moves forward.
The charges against the parent are limited to two counts of child endangering as filed this week. The prosecutor’s office may amend charges if further evidence warrants it. For now, the allegations, the children’s disclosures during forensic interviews and the woman’s reported admission to a social worker form the factual basis cited by authorities in charging her with endangering the welfare of the children.