Child abuse suspect enters insanity plea

PORT CLINTON — A Port Clinton man accused of allegedly abusing an infant has recently pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Isaiah G. Garcia, 22, of the 200 block of Buckeye Blvd., entered the plea at a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday. Garcia, along with his co-defendant and girlfriend, Gloria S. Riley, 19, of the 300 block of Superior St., were both indicted by an Ottawa County grand jury in October for their roles in allegedly abusing an infant. A police report identifies them as the parents of the child. Garcia was indicted on the following charges: • Eight counts of endangering children, both second and third-degree felonies • Three counts of felonious assault, each a second-degree felony • Three counts of domestic violence, each a first-degree misdemeanor • Two counts of tampering with evidence, each a third-degree felony His girlfriend, Riley, was indicted on the following charges: • Four counts of endangering children, each a third-degree felony • Four counts of permitting child abuse, each a third-degree felony • Two counts of tampering with evidence, each a third-degree felony • Two counts of obstructing justice, each a third-degree felony The report stemmed from members of the Ottawa County prosecutor's Major Crime Unit responding to a Toledo-area hospital on Oct. 3 for a report of a child with multiple injuries, including head bruising, blood blotches in the child's eyes and swollen marks on the child's neck. Riley, who took the child to the hospital, told police that the child was in Garcia's care in the morning and afternoon that day, the report states. The following day, Garcia was found at a close family member's residence. When police spoke with him, Garcia allegedly admitted to hitting the child and was ultimately arrested and booked into the Ottawa County Jail on a single charge of child endangerment. On Oct. 16, Riley was arrested and booked into the Ottawa County Jail. Due to Garcia's plea, the court ordered that Garcia undergo "a psychological/psychiatric evaluation" to determine Garcia's "mental condition and state of mind" at the time of the alleged incident and to determine his "competency to stand trial," according to court records. It is unknown where the court-ordered psychological evaluation will take place or when it will occur. As of Thursday afternoon, Garcia is still in the Ottawa County Jail on a $500,000 bond and has a court hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 11. Riley has a court hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. on the same day as Garcia and is still held at the Ottawa County Jail on no bond. She entered a not-guilty plea at her initial court appearance on Oct. 17.