East Liverpool woman pleads not guilty to endangering children found in deplorable living conditions

LISBON -- A woman accused of endangering children in alleged living conditions at a house on First Avenue, East Liverpool which included cockroaches and animal feces appeared in court Friday.

A pretrial was set Oct. 7 in Columbiana County Municipal Court for Sarah Ann Dobbins, 41, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, who entered a not guilty plea to misdemeanor endangering children during her video arraignment. Her bond was set at $2,500 cash or surety and she remained in jail Friday.

According to an affidavit filed by East Liverpool Police Detective Jon Price, he responded on July 7 to a First Avenue, East Liverpool property to conduct a welfare check on the living conditions of an 8-year-old child, finding that the defendant, Sarah Ann Dobbins, created a risk to the health and safety of the child by violating a duty of care, protection or support.

A charge of endangering children was also filed against Clarence Dobbins, 46, also of Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, for the same incident, but he had not been taken into custody as of Friday afternoon.

Price wrote that he saw with his own eyes and experienced in person the environment in which the child was living.

He wrote in the affidavit that conditions involved "three dogs and 11 cats within the home, massive cockroach infestation with roaches falling from the ceiling, high urine concentrations about the rooms' floors, living areas and bedrooms including child's bed covered in animal feces, filth and massive clothing clutter all about."