Mother of 3 faces charges after suspected OD

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

In the third township incident involving child endangering this week, a 9-year-old boy ran to his front porch screaming that his mother was passed out in the bathroom.

Paramedics found Jennifer Kellish, 40, unconscious from a suspected overdose in the bathroom of her Carnegie Avenue home Thursday evening. She was charged with inducing panic and three counts of endangering children.

A neighbor, who sent her granddaughter over to supervise the children after hearing the 9-year-old’s cries, told police Kellish is known to abuse drugs and that her children often wander the neighborhood unsupervised.

While being taken to the ambulance, Kellish told police she didn’t remember anything and that she must have drank too much.

Police reportedly found four syringes, a burned spoon and a crack pipe in the bathroom within the reach of Kellish’s 9-, 5- and 1-year-old children.

Officers also reported seeing dirty clothes, ants and open containers of alcohol throughout the house. On the kitchen counter, officers found an eyeglass case containing a bag with an unidentified brown substance and several syringes. Several torn plastic bags with what appeared to be heroin residue were strewn about the living-room floor, according to the report.

The children’s father returned from work and told police the mother has a history of drug abuse, and he allows her to live with him only because he needs a baby sitter. Mahoning County Children Services allowed the children to remain with the father.

Kellish will appear in Mahoning County Area Court here Monday.

She is the third person to be charged with endangering children in Austintown this week.

On Wednesday, Deanne Hartman, 42, of Maureen Drive was charged with two counts of endangering children when her 6-year-old daughter reportedly was locked out of the house and her 2-year-old daughter was found playing near a dead rat in the backyard while Hartman slept.

On Tuesday, Natalie Byers, 24, of Compass West Drive was charged with endangering children when her 2-year-old daughter reportedly wandered around the apartment complex unattended for more than an hour while Byers slept.

All three women were not conscious when authorities were called.

Police are seeing increased reports involving heroin. Last weekend, Jessica Raisky, 22, of Youngstown was arrested on charges of heroin possession when her parents called police after she showed up early Sunday wanting to see her daughter, of whom her parents have custody. The drugs were found in her car, police said.