BUCYRUS — A Crestline couple appeared in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Thursday to plead guilty to two counts each of child endangering, both third-degree felonies and punishable with up to 36 months in prison on each charge.
Katrina Miller, 36, and her husband John Miller, 36, both of Crestline each pleaded guilty to two counts of child endangering.
John Miller is the biological father of the 13-year-old boy that Katrina adopted. The Millers also have a three-year-old child in the home.
The 13-year-old had been held in the home without proper food for a long period of time. The boy escaped and went to another home for help. The residents alerted police and the child was taken immediately for medical treatment.
The child had only been allowed a bowl of grapes and almonds to eat and was severely malnourished as a result, weighing only 65 pounds. It was also revealed that some years ago the boy was diagnosed with leukemia. However, his parents did not follow-up with Children’s Hospital for treatment. He was also home schooled.
The boy was sent Children’s Hospital in Columbus where he was expected to be a patient for some time as they integrated him into a proper diet. During the ordeal, the child was only allowed to attend church. Cameras were posted on him to make sure there were no attempts to get food other than the grapes and almonds.
The couple were originally charged with one count of kidnapping, a first-degree felony punishable with up to 11 years in prison, one count each of felonious assault, second-degree felonies punishable with up to eight years in prison, three counts of child endangerment, each third-degree felonies punishable with up to three years in prison and John Miller was charged with one count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor punishable with up to six months in jail.
After several months of investigation and negotiations between the state and defense, a plea deal was reached. It was revealed by defense attorneys Sebastian Berger (attorney for Katrina) and Andrew Motter (attorney for John) that the couple had been in contact with a person they thought was a doctor on the internet. This individual suggested a strict diet for the child and the Millers paid the individual for products and expertise.
It was determined that the individual was not a doctor at all. Both attorneys told the court their clients had meant no malice, and this was an attempt to look after the child with a special diet.
Crawford County Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler vehemently disagreed with the attorneys. Hoovler told the court that he himself had been more enraged by the behavior of these parents than the victim was.
“He (the victim) understands the plea. He misses his father and believes that his father tried to help him with this so-called horrible diet. This young person is a pleasant person, a good young person and this saddens me,” Hoovler said. “I had the pleasure of seeing this teenager eating a doughnut in my office. The behavior of these parents is terrible and that is why they are going to prison. I hope they come to understand that just because something is on the internet that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.”
Berger told the court, “This so-called internet doctor pitched a raw fruit and vegetable diet and they believed him. They realize now that it was not the right thing to do.”
Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold said that while it was hard for him to grasp the concept of a doctor on the internet, he understood it’s a different time and people do seek advice by video clips and doctors online.
“What I don’t understand is how you could look at this child and think that this advice was working. You refused to see that your child was suffering from horrible malnutrition and you believed a charlatan instead,” Leuthold said. “I can’t make the pictures of this victim public, but I can tell you that this looks like a victim from a concentration camp. This child looks like a skeleton that someone hung some skin on. I can see ribs, hip bones, the clavicle and more.
“The truth is, if this child had not escaped, they’d still be on this diet or no longer with us,” Leuthold continued. “It took months for this child to heal. You were watching your son waste away. Look around. Is the charlatan here today for you? No, he’s not and it is because you’re not sending him any more money! You both deserve to go to prison. There is no way a person could look at this child and continue on with this.”
Leuthold imposed the same sentence on both defendants. Each spend the next 54 months in prison. Both defendants were given 208 days of jail time credit.
They were also ordered to have no contact with the victim. The couple’s younger child, who is in the custody of Mrs. Miller’s brother, may have contact with the couple but is not permitted to visit the Millers at their respective prisons. Leuthold said the victim is now thriving.
“Children need solid medical advice from doctors, not a charlatan on the internet.”