YOUNGSTOWN Mom gets 6 months in lockup

The judge didn't buy the woman's story that a drunken boyfriend was responsible for her home's deplorable conditions.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Sandra Faye Smith collapsed when she was sentenced to six months in jail for endangering her two small sons, one of whom police found nearly naked in the snow.
Municipal Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly summoned paramedics to her courtroom Friday when Smith fell forward on the bailiff's desk. The 24-year-old Franklin Avenue woman then slumped in a chair and cried, telling police that she is two months pregnant.
Authorities at the jail said she's fine now.
She told deputies that she has asthma and that she hyperventilated when she heard the judge's decision.
During the sentencing, Judge Kobly said she found it offensive that Smith tried to blame a drunken boyfriend for the deplorable condition of her house and the neglect of the boys, ages 1 and 3.
On Feb. 22, police found the 3-year-old outside -- filthy, barefoot, bruised and wearing only a diaper -- and the younger boy standing in a filthy crib.
'Not enough': A probation department recommendation for a 10-day sentence was rejected. "That's not enough," the judge said.
Smith's lawyer, Walter D. Ritchie, said the boyfriend was not a good influence and that his client no longer has contact with the man. Smith is attending parenting classes and visits her sons weekly with reunification in mind, the lawyer told the judge.
The boys have been in foster care since Smith's arrest.
Judge Kobly chastised Smith for trying to minimize her part. She said she was shocked by police reports that described Smith's house.
"I don't know how anyone can live like that," she said, eyeing Smith, who cried and covered her face with her hands.
Description: "There were packs of cigarettes laying on the trash-covered carpet for any wandering child to pick up and ingest," Patrolman Dan Mikus had written in his report.
"Trash cans were overfilled with garbage, soiled diapers, animal feces and beer cans."
The containers had tipped and their contents strewn on the kitchen floor. Mikus and Sgt. Joe Datko found dirty pots, pans and dishes, spoiled food and unknown matter on the counter and elsewhere in the kitchen.
Several loose trash bags filled with more empty beer cans had also spilled, "providing a nice sharp edge for a baby's finger or toe," Mikus reported.
As they made their way through the house, officers found animal feces smashed on the kitchen carpet near the refrigerator. The refrigerator contained ground beef, beer and wine and a few condiments.
On the way upstairs, they had to step over remnants of used and new toilet paper, trash and other debris.
The upstairs, Mikus said, was similarly trashed.