Dad, step accused of locking 12-year-old daughter in basement for a month in court today (Hamilton, Ohio)

Is SHAWN BLACKSTON a custodial father? Seems highly likely. If Mom had been around at all, they wouldn't have been able to keep the girl locked up for a month. Unless this was summer visitation or something. At any rate, we have the usual media silence on the "What happened to Mom?" question.

Once again, we have a case where some POWs were treated better than this poor girl....

http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/news/couple-accused-of-locking-12-year-old-in-basement-/nS2HC/

Posted: 11:32 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012

Couple accused of locking 12-year-old in basement in court today

HAMILTON — A Middletown father and step-mother, accused of locking their daughter in a basement for nearly a month this past summer, will be in court this afternoon for one of the final hearings before a three-day trial set for next week.

Shawn and Joanna Blackston will have a motions hearing at 3 p.m. today before visiting Judge Matthew Crehan in the fourth floor of the Government Services Center.

The Blackstons were arrested in July on felony kidnapping, unlawful restraint and child endangering charges. But a Butler County grand jury dismissed those charges and certified the child endangering charge to juvenile court because the case involved a juvenile.

This case sparked an investigation of the Butler County Children Services by the County Commission and as a result, changes occurred within the department, caseworkers were suspended and Children Services director Jeff Centers lost his job.

The couple was arrested in early July, just days after Butler County Children Services and Middletown police were called to their home at 1606 Philadelphia Ave. Police and Children Services officials said the girl was allegedly locked in the basement for nearly a month. Officials said she appeared to be not fed properly and was underweight.

The July 3 investigation by Children Services and police was called after county agency received an anonymous complaint of abuse at the Blackston home. Six children — ages 15, 14, 12, 9, 3 and 2 — were removed from the couple’s care and placed into foster care.