Girard, OH- Girard police and Trumbull County Children Services are investigating an incident that left a teen lethargic and lying on the floor inside a home with deadly levels of carbon monoxide, according to police.
Emergency crews were called to the home Wednesday on Washington Avenue on a medical call. When police, firefighters and EMTs arrived, they were unable to make contact with anyone initially and could hear alarms going off inside the house, according to a police report.
After a short time, a woman answered the door and at that time officers detected an overwhelming odor coming from the house. A generator was in operation inside the home, and a CO2 reading showed levels were high enough in the house to be life threatening.
A 14-year-old boy, who was lying on the floor, had to be dragged out of the house. The teen’s father, Thomas File, 48, told police the teen had been vomiting uncontrollably for the past several days.
Officers noted in the police report that the teen’s clothes were saturated in vomit, urine and feces. He was taken to Trumbull Memorial Hospital for a medical evaluation.
File told police that he had been running the generator for about four hours and that he had been ventilating the house.
Police noted that the house was in deplorable condition with piles of garbage lying around and cockroaches present.
Girard Police Chief Jeff Palmer said that because of the condition of the teen and circumstances in the home, File was charged with child endangering. Palmer said officers are continuing to investigate the case and more charges could be filed in connection to other family members.
File is scheduled to appear in Girard Municipal Court February 16.