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Three faces charges in Struthers child endangering case
By Sarah Lehr
struthers
A Struthers woman is facing 10 counts of endangering children and 10 counts of contributing to the delinquency of minors.
Barbara Bigley, 53, entered not-guilty pleas at her arraignment Monday in Mahoning County Juvenile Court.
Bigley was booked into the Mahoning County jail Tuesday. Her bond is $10,000.
Police say Bigley allowed a 12- and 14-year-old girl to use alcohol, marijuana and narcotic pills at a Harvey Street home.
Officers initially responded after middle-school officials reported on Aug. 28, 2015, that two 20-year-old men were having sex with the girls. According to a police report, the two men also were living at the Harvey Street home. Both men are facing charges through the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Both Chad Daley, 21, and Chadwick Tatarka, 21, are charged with unlawful sexual contact with a minor. Tatarka is also charged with rape.
Juvenile Court Administrator Anthony D’Apolito said the court consulted with county and city prosecutors about the decision to try Bigley in the juvenile system.
“We have the ability to be more rehabilitative,” D’Apolito said of the juvenile court system.
Struthers Detective Jeff Lewis noted that, under Ohio law, juvenile courts have exclusive original jurisdiction in certain areas, including custody issues.
“Juvenile court is structured to support, educate, and counsel families to provide a safer and healthier environment to raise children to be productive members of society, not to simply punish the offender,” Lewis wrote in an email. “JJC [Juvenile Justice Center] has specific programs to assist them that they may not have access to if charged in a municipal court.”
After the investigation, Mahoning County Children Services obtained emergency custody of the two girls.
In a separate case, Ronald Higham, 39, and Bambi Shiley, 36, both of Struthers were arraigned Tuesday in the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on child endangerment charges.
Officers responded to the couple’s Fifth Street home in May 2015 and found what they described as deplorable conditions. Police reported children were living in the home in which dirty diapers and fecal matter were piled up.
Shiley’s bond is set at $30,000 and Higham’s is set at $50,000. They were booked into the Mahoning County jail.