Punxsutawney man faces child endangerment charges

PUNXSUTAWNEY — A Punxsutawney man is facing child endangerment charges after his two young daughters were found running down the sidewalk and shaking from the cold temperatures early Sunday morning, according to a criminal complaint.

Zackery Reinard, 28, of the 500 block of Sycamore St., has a preliminary hearing set for June 8 before District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock.

Punxsutawney borough police officers responded to the 600 block of Cherry Street around 1:30 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report of two young girls, ages 2 and 3, running down the sidewalk.

The youngest girl was not wearing shoes and did not have pants on or a coat. She had just a pajama top with a button-up shirt, the complaint said.

The other girl wasn’t wearing shoes, either, and had no jacket, but she did have on a long sleeve shirt and leggings.

Police reported the two girls had dirt all over their faces, along with small cut marks. The girls also smelled of rotting garbage and soiled diapers. Both also had dirty hair, which appeared to have not been washed for multiple days, the complaint said.

It was approximately 37 degrees outside and both little girls were shaking from the cold, police said.

Officers said they spoke to the girls but they were unable to provide any information.

A Children and Youth Services worker eventually was able to identify the two girls and two other CYS workers brought diapers and car seats for the girls for transportation purposes.

Around 3:12 a.m., police said Reinard woke up and realized his daughters were missing and called 911. He eventually talked to police, who informed him his daughters were safe at the station with an officer and three CYS workers.

Reinard told police he fell asleep around 1 a.m. and had forgotten to lock his front door and the girls must have snuck out. Police told Reiner they were found approximately 900 feet away from the front door of Sycamore Apartments, where he lives, the complaint said.

Police spoke to the mother of the girls, and informed her of what happened since they are separated.

Once at Reinard’s apartment, officers said there was an obvious odor of rotting garbage, mixed with spoiled milk. There also was food ground into the carpet and drinks spilled on the surfaces of tables, and the apartment was a dirty mess.

Police said when they informed Reinard he was being charged with the girls escaping his apartment while under his care, he became upset and started to sob.

CYS initially took protective custody of the girls, but eventually released them to the mother, the complaint said.