Couple arrested; toddler has burns on hands

4/28/2006

An East Toledo woman and her boyfriend were charged after police found them and the woman s 1-year-old daughter hiding in a locked bedroom the toddler with second-degree burns on her hands.

Nicole Graves, 25, of 1324 Ironwood Ave., was charged with endangering children and obstructing official business. Bond was set at $1,000 for the endangerment charge yesterday in Toledo Municipal Court, but she was being held in the Lucas County jail on unrelated warrants.

Mario Guerrero, 21, of the Ironwood address, was charged with obstructing official business. He was released from the jail after his arrest.

Police went to their home about 3 p.m. Wednesday after Lucas County Children Services received an anonymous call that a mother and child were being held against their will at the location, and that the child had burns on her hands and bruises on her head.

Officers knocked on the door and yelled but got no response. They found an unlocked window, entered, forced open a bedroom door, and found the trio. Ms. Graves said she was not being held against her will.

Ms. Graves was heating her apartment by leaving the stove on and open. Her daughter sustained burns because of that; Ms. Graves did not seek medical attention for her. The toddler also had bruises on her forehead, police said.

Rod Brandt, a spokesman for children services, said the agency will take custody of the child when she is released from St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center.