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Inset: Joshua Merz (Hamilton County Justice Center). Background: The home where Merz allegedly left his toddler alone for hours (WLWT).
A 35-year-old father in Ohio has been arrested after he allegedly “physically restrained” his 2-year-old special needs son and left the child alone in a bedroom for up to seven hours while he went to work.
Joshua Merz was taken into custody earlier this month and has since been indicted on two counts of child endangerment, authorities announced. One of the charges was filed as a felony while the other was filed as a first-degree misdemeanor.
“There is never a reason to leave a 2-year-old child home alone,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said in a statement released following Merz’s arrest. “It’s our job to make sure those who cannot speak for themselves are protected. And that’s exactly what we will do in this case.”
According to a news release from the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office on April 8, responded to a home in the 7400 block of Zion Hill Road regarding a young child being left alone inside the residence. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders described the home as being “filthy and potentially dangerous.”
Per the indictment, prosecutors said that Merz “recklessly physically restrained” the 2-year-old in a “cruel manner or for a prolonged period, “which was excessive under the circumstances and created a substantial risk of serious physical harm.”
The child’s specific special needs have not been publicly identified.
Merz was booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center and released after posting 10% of his $25,000 bond.
While the sheriff’s office said it was informed of Merz leaving the child alone by “a neighbor,” Cincinnati NBC affiliate WLWT reported that the 911 caller was actually Merz’s father, Bruce Merz.
“It’s heartbreaking — it’s the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. But it was the right thing to do, and Josh knows that,” Bruce Merz told the station in an interview. “He made a mistake and we all have to live with it now.
The station obtained audio of the 911 call Bruce placed on April 8.
“I don’t know if it’s been reported or not, but there was a child left alone in a house and I’m in the house now with the child,” Bruce tells the emergency dispatcher.
At some point during the call the dispatcher says that the child had previously been “found naked, locked in a bedroom by a friend.”
If convicted on both counts, Merz is facing a maximum sentence of 3 1/2 years in a state correctional facility as well as a fine of up to $25,000.
