4 charged with endangering 5 children

Two 2-year-old girls were found lying in their own urine.

AUSTINTOWN — Police have charged four people in a child endangering case after finding five children living in squalor in a house with no running water, a police report says.

Police found the children while they were searching the house at 212 Westminster Ave. for stolen goods, said township Detective Kathy Dina.

She said people police had charged with breaking into cars all traced back to the residence, and police did find what they believe to be stolen goods there. So far, no theft charges have been filed.

After police entered the house the morning of June 21, they discovered the squalid conditions. There was trash everywhere, the report says.

There were no diapers for a 7-month-old girl, and two other children, both 2-year-old girls, were laying in their own urine, the report said.

It wasn’t clear whether the older children were being potty-trained or still needed diapers, the report said. The other children are 7 and 10, respectively.

Calling children services

Police contacted the county health department and county Children Services, which took the children.

Eight adults also live at the house, Dina said. Three of them — Michelle Banks, 26, Boyd Kopsic, 34, and Jason Webb, 27 — are parents of the children. Kopsic is the father of four, and Webb and Banks are the parents of one, said Dina. They were charged with child endangering and appeared in county court in Austintown for their arraignments Monday.

The homeowner and grandmother of the children, Jeanette Banks, 54, was also in court Monday. She is charged with complicity.

Pretrials for all four defendants are set for 2:30 p.m. Aug. 27.