Woman charged with child endangering

Staff report

Austintown

A township woman charged with felonious assault and child endangering is to have no contact with the child.

Cassandra L. Barber, 20, of North Kimberly Avenue, was charged Monday and arraigned in Mahoning County Area Court in Austintown. She entered no plea and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing July 11, according to court records.

Barber was ordered by Judge Anthony D’Apolito to have no contact with the 1-year-old female victim.

Barber and the child’s father reportedly took her to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Austintown for X-rays after Barber said June 2 the girl pulled a bag containing 10 bottles of nail polish off a dresser onto her foot, police reports said.

X-rays showed the toddler had a fractured left ankle, and after putting a splint on her foot, doctors advised Barber to follow up with an orthopedic doctor, the report said.

Barber took the child to Akron Children’s Hospital Boardman Campus on June 3, according to the police report. The doctor there who examined the toddler told police her injuries were not consistent with Barber’s story.

Austintown Detective Sgt. Kathy Dina said according to the doctor, the bag of nail polish wouldn’t have hit the child’s foot with enough force to cause her injuries.

“Nail polish doesn’t fracture your tibia,” she said. “It’s got to be a pretty good force to your foot to do that damage.”

Dina said hospital X-rays showed no prior injuries or signs of abuse.