By Kathy Laird
Markie Ann Page made an initial appearance before Crawford County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold to answer on an indictment handed down by the September Crawford County Grand Jury.
Page, 25, of Galion pleaded not guilty to one count of endangering children, a third-degree felony punishable with up to 36 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
According to charges outlined by Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall, Page’s three-year-old daughter was rushed to the hospital suffering from a drug overdose of Methadone. The Narcon shot was given to the child who was transported to Children’s Hospital where she tested positive for Methadone.
According to Crall, several different explanations were given for the overdose, including that the child got into a dumpster while playing outside and came in contact with a container that she put up to her lips causing the ingestion of the drug.
Crall added in his explanation, “these stores don’t jive”.
When asked if the child had been removed from the home, Crall noted that the child had indeed been placed with relatives.
Leuthold appointed Grant Gaverick to represent Page but had some questions before posting bond. Crall noted that Page had no prior criminal record and that she had only supervised visitation with her child. Leuthold then asked Page if she would submit to a drug test.
She responded, “absolutely.”
Probation Officer Eric Bohach took Page to be tested.
When they returned Bohach reported that she had tested negative for all drugs.
“It’s a very serious thing when a child overdoses, because most of these drugs are laced with fentanyl and it gets absorbed into their skin,” Leuthold said.
Leuthold said he took three things into consideration before setting bond; the accused had no criminal record, the child is not in her custody and she passed a drug test.
Leuthold set a personal recognizance bond and ordered Page not to have any contact that was unsupervised with her daughter and follow all conditions set in her bond.