New details have emerged in the case against a Franklin woman who has been charged with a felony count of endangering the welfare of children.
A criminal complaint filed through district judge Andrew Fish’s office said patrolman Bradley Barnhill of the Franklin Police Department investigated a report of possible child abuse between Oct. 14 and Sunday.
During the probe, Barnhill concluded that 39-year-old Dale O’Neil failed to provide a safe environment for her two juvenile daughters at their home at 342 Pacific St. in Franklin, the complaint said.
The investigation revealed there was a significant lack of available food, a lack of resources to prepare food, an unsanitary residence, a residence that is unable to protect occupants from the outside elements and a significant lack of parental supervision, the complaint said.
O’Neil routinely stays at her boyfriend’s residence, and it is not uncommon for her to spend several days or weeks there, the complaint said. She doesn’t monitor the children in any significant manner, and the youth rely on other people to provide them with food, transportation and shelter, the complaint said.
One of the children fainted while at a school due to a lack of nutrition, the complaint said.
The residence also does not have a working stove, the kitchen was found to be unsanitary, the home has exposed electrical wires/roof leaks and several animals urinate, regurgitate and defecate on the floors, according to the complaint.
In addition, the home is cluttered in a way that it does not allow a person to have access to a safe emergency exit, the complaint said.
O’Neil admitted to staying at her boyfriend’s home and only checking in at her residence, to not cooking for an extended period of time and that her home poses a safety hazard to its occupants.
She was arraigned Sunday by Fish and released on $50,000 unsecured bail.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled Nov. 30 in Venango County Central Court.
