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Man charged with child endangering again

Toddler said to have been roaming free a second time

STRUTHERS — For the second time since March, a Struthers man is facing charges after a child in his care was said to have wandered from the house.

Cody Shields, 22, was arraigned in Struthers Municipal Court Friday after Struthers police said they were dispatched to the 200 block of Sexton Street in regards to a little boy walking alone Thursday, according to a police report.

He pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for his next hearing June 16. Bond was set at $2,500.

As of Friday afternoon, Shields was at the Mahoning County jail.

While officers were on their way to the area, they were advised the caller took the 2-year-old and kept him in her vehicle until they could respond.

Once officers arrived, they realized they knew the boy from the previous incident, when Shields was arrested on a charge of child endangerment after the child wandered out of the house, appearing at a neighbor’s.

When questioned the first time earlier this spring, Shields told investigators he was “getting high and playing video games,” a police report stated.

It was observed Thursday the boy wasn’t bathed and had a full diaper, the police report states.

Officers went to Shields’ house and knocked on the door. He appeared groggy, the police report states. Officers arrested him on a charge of child endangerment once again.

The boy’s mother was called and advised to leave work to care for her son. Due to this being the second occurrence, she was advised the incident will be reviewed by the city prosecutor’s office “to determine if she also would be charged with child endangering,” the report states.

The case also was forwarded to Mahoning County Children’s Services.

afox@vindy.com

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