YOUNGSTOWN Unfit house nets probation
The woman received two years' probation, to be monitored in Cleveland.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Cylanna H. Pond, a single mother guilty of six counts of child endangering -- one for each child, didn't win points with a municipal judge by mentioning her race at sentencing.
With tears running down her cheeks, Pond poured out her story of a life of struggle Thursday to Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly.
Judge Kobly gave Pond six months in jail on each count, suspended it all, and placed her on two years' probation. "I pray to God you don't make me regret it," the judge said.
City Prosecutor Dionne M. Almasy had wanted Pond to serve six months in jail. She described Pond's house as deplorable and stench-filled with the potential of injury to children "overwhelming."
Conditions of home
In July, crawling roaches and dead flies in a sink smeared with fecal matter next to a maggot-filled bowl prompted police to describe Pond's kitchen at 2816 Rush Boulevard as "incredibly disgusting." The officers arrested her on child endangering charges, one for each of the children -- ages 4, 6, 8, 11, 14 and 15.
Pond, 33, talked Thursday in court about being a mother at 18, having her father take the first child then giving birth to six more. "My children are my life," she said.
Pond said she worked two jobs and didn't get help from welfare when she asked.
"As a black woman with seven children, I'm already deemed a whore or drug addict," Pond said. "Whose gonna take in six kids?"
The judge, Pond said, doesn't know what it means to be a single black woman.
Judge's response
Judge Kobly, glaring at Pond from the bench said: "No one forced you to have seven children." The judge said it was Pond's responsibility to make sure the kids had a safe, clean and healthy environment.
The judge, her anger low-key but visible, zeroed in on Pond's racial statements, calling them political.
"This is not about black women unable to rent places," the judge said. "This should be a wake-up call."
Holding her thumb and index finger a half inch apart, the judge said: "You came that close to losing your children."
Judge Kobly warned Pond that if she violates probation, she will lose her children and end up in jail for one year.
The judge said Pond's probation will be transferred to Cleveland, where she's now living with her sister.
Before sentencing, Pond's lawyer, Anthony P. Meranto, acknowledged in court that his client's house was in shambles. He said people of unfortunate circumstances don't have the wherewithal to provide.
Previous testimony
Meranto said testimony at trial in September showed that the children were well fed and not in any danger of harm and Pond was in the process of moving. He said Pond's not the type of individual to be in jail and suggested parenting classes.
Here's some of what police said they found at Pond's rented house in July:
Ceilings and walls with gaping holes.
Feces smashed into the living room floor, where the only furniture was a couch without cushions.
Flies and other insects "heavy on the walls and in the air."
Feces on the kitchen floor, as well as cockroach pellets, which indicated breeding.
Excrement on the steps leading upstairs to the second-floor bedrooms.
The upstairs bathroom smelled of mold and mildew and there was stagnant water in the clogged sink. The toilet water was running continuously and the bathtub was filthy.
Each of the four bedrooms had feces on the floor, with dirty clothes and garbage strewn everywhere. Only one bedroom had a mattress on the floor and it, too, was covered with feces.
Several dogs were found without food or water.
City housing inspectors "red tagged" the house in July, signifying that it was uninhabitable. The 87-year-old six-room house is owned by Neil R. Kennedy of Market Street, county records show.
meade@vindy.com