Man gets prison in child abuse case

MARGARETTA TWP. — A Castalia man who pleaded guilty for his role in the physical abuse of a young child, was sentenced to prison this week. James A. Reed, 53, of the 5400 block of Homegardner Road, pleaded guilty in September to one count of endangering children, a third-degree felony. In exchange for his plea, the state dropped another count of endangering children and two counts of felonious assault. At his Wednesday sentencing hearing, Reed was handed a two-and-a-half-year term by Judge Tygh Tone. "I appreciate that Judge Tone took into consideration the severity of the injuries sustained by this child and considered all the other relevant factors of sentencing," said assistant Erie County prosecutor Paulette Lilly. "I am thankful that his conclusion was that the defendant deserved a period of incarceration. I believe we all recognize that no period of incarceration is going to remedy the emotional and psychological harm that this child suffered as a result of the maltreatment she endured." "This was a terrible case," said Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth, whose office investigated the incident. "I read the report from the Toledo doctor who examined the child and he said it was one of the worst cases of child abuse he had seen in 20 years." Sigsworth commended the detectives of his office, child protective services and the prosecutor's office. "These types of cases, involving children, are tough to investigate," Sigsworth said. "Thank God we have the investigators from all these agencies because they speak for the children, who many times cannot speak for themselves." Reed was originally indicted in May 2023. James Reed along with his wife, Doretha M. Reed, 57, were arrested in April 2023 for the alleged abuse of a 3-year-old child. A third party called the Erie County Sheriff's Office on the morning of April 16, 2023 to report possible child abuse occurring at a home in the 5400 block of Homegardner Road, according to Erie County Sheriff's Office Det. Alexis Harvey. The abuse had been ongoing for some time and James Reed was aware of it and did nothing to protect the child or report the abuse, according to Harvey. "She was abused with hands and objects," Harvey said. Through the initial investigation, detectives learned that Doretha Reed purportedly left the township with the involved child. Doretha Reed and the child were found at a hotel in Northwood, Ohio, Harvey stated. Northwood police and EMS arrived at the scene and transported the child to a hospital. The investigation revealed that Doretha Reed allegedly caused serious physical harm to the girl's face and body, Harvey said. There was evidence to indicate that the abuse has been taking place long-term. The girl had bruises and wounds that were in various stages of healing. Detectives believe physical harm was inflicted on the girl due to her wetting the bed. Neither of the Reeds are related to the girl, who was in the care of her grandmother. Before her grandmother passed, she reportedly stated she wished her friends, the Reeds, to take care of the girl. No other family could or would step up to take custody of the child, so she was placed with the Reeds, Harvey said. Doretha Reed has a pretrial scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on January 15 in Judge Tygh Tone's court. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.