4 Ohio kids removed after child endangering

HAMILTON, Ohio — Four children have been placed in grandparents’ custody after a couple was convicted of child endangering in a case that began over an allegation they kept a girl locked in their basement.

Judge Tom Lipps ruled in Butler County Juvenile Court that the couple in a blended family could visit the children, but not overnight. The children in Monday's ruling are ages 2, 4, 10 and 14.

He said the children should continue to receive counseling, and custody will be revisited in six months. The Hamilton JournalNews reports that custody of three other children will be decided later.

A judge found earlier that the couple treated a 12-year-old girl differently than other children, isolating her and limiting food, but not that she was kept locked in the basement.