JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) – A Punxsutawney man waived his hearing in court on Tuesday on charges related to an incident where two toddlers were found wandering in the middle of the night.
Court documents indicate the following charges against 28-year-old Zackery Reinard were waived for court on June 8:
– Endangering Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense (two counts)
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person (two counts)
The charges have been transferred to the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas.
Reinard remains free on $5,000.00 unsecured bail.
The charges stem from an incident in Punxsutawney in April.
Details of the case:
According to a criminal complaint, around 1:30 a.m. on April 18, Punxsutawney Borough Police were dispatched to a residence on Cherry Street for a report of two small girls running down a sidewalk.
The complaint states at the scene, police found two girls, approximately two and three years of age, with the younger not wearing shoes, pants, or a coat, and the older not wearing shoes or a jacket. The girls both allegedly had dirt all over their faces as well as small cuts to their faces and smelled of rotting garbage and soiled diapers. They both were also noted to have dirty hair, which appeared not to have been washed in a number of days.
The complaint notes it was approximately 37 degrees at the time, and both girls were shaking from the cold.
Police then attempted to ask the girls’ names and where they lived, but the girls were unable to provide that information. Jefferson County Children and Youth Services (CYS) was then contacted, and the children were transported to the Punxsutawney Borough Police Station.
A CYS representative then arrived at the station and was able to identify the children. The representative also informed police two more CYS employees were on their way with diapers and car seats to help transport the children.
According to the complaint, around 3:12 a.m., Punxsutawney Borough Police received a call from Zackery Reinard, who stated he had just woken up and realized his daughters were missing. Reinard was informed the children were safe at the police station and was told he would need to come and speak to police about the incident.
Reinard allegedly told police that he had fallen asleep around 1:00 a.m. and had forgotten to lock the front door of his apartment. He said the children must have “snuck out.” He was then advised about the appearance of the children and allegedly stated they had been bathed the prior day, and “he did not realize how dirty they were.”
Police then contacted the children’s mother, who resides separate from Reinard, to inform her about what had occurred.
Police and a CYS representative then went to the mother’s house to check the conditions and found them clean and acceptable, and then advised the mother that after they had spoken to Reinard, the children would be brought to her. They then proceeded to Reinard’s apartment.
According to the complaint, at the apartment, police were immediately struck by an obvious odor of rotting garbage and spoiled milk, which actually caused one of the officers to gag uncontrollably. They also found food ground into the carpet, drinks smelled on surfaces of tables, and a general dirty mess all around the apartment.
Reinard was then informed he would be receiving charges in relation to the children escaping the apartment under his care and was advised to clean the apartment.
The complaint notes after returning to the station, the other CYS employees informed police that when they changed the children’s diapers, they found both children had feces caked and dried onto them, and one of the children had a burn mark from her diaper being too tight.
Both children were then transported to their mother’s home and left in her care.
The charges were filed against Reinard through Magisterial District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock’s office on April 19.
Court documents indicate previous child endangerment charges against Reinard in relation to an incident in 2020 were withdrawn and Reinard participated in the Jefferson County Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (“ARD”) in relation to a misdemeanor simple assault plea from an incident in 2020.
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