Newark Couple Faces Child Endangering Charge

Authorities say a Newark couple has been charged with child endangering for allegedly keeping a 6-year-old boy locked up most of the time in an unfinished basement. The father of the child and his girlfriend appeared in court Wednesday in Newark. They were arrested the previous day after Licking County Children’s Services received a complaint. Criminal complaints filed in Licking County Court say the child was routinely locked in a basement room when he wasn’t in school and was often beaten with a belt. He was forced to eat his meals and sleep there. The couple said the boy was treated that way for disciplinary reasons. They are not being identified to protect the identity of the child. A prosecutor say the case will go to a Grand Jury.