CAMPBELL, Ohio (WKBN) — A mother and daughter pleaded not guilty Friday at their arraignments in municipal court after reports said they were arrested Wednesday after police were called to Campbell Middle School.
Officers were called to Campbell Middle School around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, where police said Lucille Calloway, 69, was picking up two children at the school. A concerned staff member noticed a baby inside the car Calloway was driving without a car seat, according to a police report.
When officers questioned Calloway as to why the 4-month-old was not in a car seat, she said that it was an emergency and that she had to go pick up the other children at school. She told police that she would place the baby in the front seat with a seatbelt on, the report stated.
After she was unable to obtain safe transportation for the children, officers called Children Services to come to get them, the report stated.
Reports said that the mother of the children, 38-year-old Nikki Calloway, then came to the scene and was upset that law enforcement was taking this course of action. Nikki was told multiple times to not put the child in her vehicle inside the car seat, but she did anyway, according to police. The report says someone from Children Services had previously advised police to not let Nikki take the child or leave with the child.
When Lucille was placed under arrest on a child-endangering charge, reports said that Nikki got in between officers. When officers asked Nikki to stop, she got into the officer’s face and yelled profanities, the report stated. Police said they had to show Nikki a stun gun in order to get her to move her hand away from the car seat.
Police arrested both women on child-endangering charges. Nikki is also charged with obstructing official business and resisting arrest.
Children Services took custody of the baby, while the older children went to a foster care provider.
Both women are free on bond and are due back in court Jan. 31 for pretrial hearings.
Chelsea Simeon contributed to this report.
