(a) No person, who is the parent, guardian, custodian, person having custody or control, or person in loco parentis of a child under 18 years of age or a mentally or physically disabled child under 21 years of age, shall create a substantial risk to the health or safety of the child by violating a duty of care, protection, or support. It is not a violation of a duty of care, protection, or support under this division when the parent, guardian, custodian, or person having custody or control of a child treats the physical or mental illness or disability of the child by spiritual means through prayer alone, in accordance with the tenets of a recognized religious body.
(b) No person shall do any of the following to a child under 18 years of age or a mentally or physically disabled child under 21 years of age:
(1) Abuse the child.
(2) Torture or cruelly abuse the child.
(3) Administer corporal punishment or other physical disciplinary measure, or physically restrain the child in a cruel manner or for a prolonged period, which punishment, discipline or restraint is excessive under the circumstances and creates a substantial risk of serious physical harm to the child.
(4) Repeatedly administer unwarranted disciplinary measures to a child when there is a substantial risk that such conduct, if continued, will seriously impair or retard the child’s mental health or development.
(5) Entice, coerce, permit, encourage, compel, hire, employ, use, or allow the child to act, model, or in any other way participate in, or be photographed for, the production, presentation, dissemination, or advertisement of any material or performance that the offender knows or reasonably should know is obscene, is sexually oriented matter, or is nudity-oriented matter.
(6) Allow the child to be on the same parcel of real property and within 100 feet of, or, in the case of more than one housing unit on the same parcel of real property, in the same housing unit and within 100 feet of, any act in violation of Ohio R.C. 2925.04 or 2925.041 when the person knows that the act is occurring, whether or not any person is prosecuted for or convicted of the violation of Ohio R.C. 2925.04 or 2925.041 that is the basis of the violation of this division.
(c) No person shall operate a vehicle, as defined by Ohio R.C. 4511.01, within the Municipality and in violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A), or Section 434.01(a) through (c), when one or more children under 18 years of age are in the vehicle. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person may be convicted at the same trial or proceeding of a violation of this division and a violation of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drug of abuse, that constitutes the basis of the charge of the violation of this division.
(d) (1) Division (b)(5) of this section does not apply to any material or performance that is produced, presented, or disseminated for a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, religious, governmental, judicial, or other proper purpose, by or to a physician, psychologist, sociologist, scientist, teacher, person pursing bona fide studies for research, librarian, member of the clergy, prosecutor, judge, or other person having a proper interest in the material or performance.
(2) Mistake of age is not a defense to a charge under division (b)(5) of this section.
(3) In a prosecution under division (b)(5) of this section, the trier of fact may infer that an actor, model, or participant in the material or performance involved is a juvenile if the material or performance, through its title, text, visual representation, or otherwise, represents or depicts the actor, model, or participant as a juvenile.
(4) As used in this division and division (b)(5) of this section:
A. "Material," "performance," "obscene," and "sexual activity" have the same meanings as in Ohio R.C. 2907.01.
B. "Nudity-oriented matter" means any material or performance that shows a minor in a state of nudity and that, taken as a whole by the average person applying contemporary community standards, appeals to the prurient interest.
C. "Sexually oriented matter" means any material or performance that shows a minor participating or engaging in sexual activity, masturbation, or bestiality.
(e) Whoever violates this section is guilty of endangering children.
(1) If the offender violates division (a) or (b)(1) of this section, endangering children is one of the following:
A. Except as otherwise provided in division (e)(1)B., C., or D., a misdemeanor of the first degree.
B. If the offender previously has been convicted of an offense under this section or a substantially similar state law or municipal ordinance, or of any offense involving neglect, abandonment, or contributing to the delinquency of or physical abuse of a child, except as otherwise provided in division (e)(1)C. or D. of this section, endangering children is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
C. If the violation is a violation of division (a) of this section and results in serious physical harm to the child involved, endangering children is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
D. If the violation is a violation of division (b)(1) of this section and results in serious physical harm to the child involved, endangering children is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(2) If the offender violates division (b)(2), (3), (4), (5) or (6) of this section, endangering children is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(3) If the offender violates division (c) of this section, the offender shall be punished as follows:
A. Except as provided in (e)(3)B. or C., endangering children in violation of division (c) of this section is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
B. If the violation results in serious physical harm to the child or if the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of this section or a substantially similar state law or municipal ordinance, or of any offense involving neglect, abandonment, or contributing to the delinquency of or physical abuse of a child, except as otherwise provided in division (e)(3)C. of this section, endangering children in violation of division (c) of this section is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
C. If the violation results in serious physical harm to the child and if the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of this section, Ohio R.C. 2903.06, 2903.08, 2919.22(C) or former Ohio R.C. 2903.07 as it existed prior to March 23, 2000, or Ohio R.C. 2903.04, in a case in which the offender was subject to the sanctions described in division (D) of that section, endangering children in violation of division (c) of this section is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
D. In addition to any term of imprisonment, fine, or other sentence, penalty or sanction it imposes upon the offender pursuant to divisions (e)(3)A., B. or C. of this section or pursuant to any other provision of law and in addition to any suspension of the offender's driver's license or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege under Ohio R.C. Chapter 4506, 4509, 4510, or 4511, or any other provision of law, the court also may impose upon the offender a class seven suspension of the offender's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege from the range specified in Ohio R.C. 4510.02(A)(7).
E. In addition to any term of imprisonment, fine, or other sentence, penalty or sanction imposed upon the offender pursuant to division (e)(3)A., B., C. or D. of this section or pursuant to any other provision of law for the violation of division (c) of this section, if as a part of the same trial or proceeding the offender also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a separate charge charging the violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A), or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, that was the basis of the charge of the violation of division (c) of this section, the offender also shall be sentenced in accordance with Ohio R.C. 4511.19, or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, for that violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A), or a substantially similar municipal ordinance.
(f) If a person violates division (c) of this section and if, at the time of the violation, there were two or more children under 18 years of age in the motor vehicle involved in the violation, the offender may be convicted of a violation of division (c) of this section for each of the children, but the court may sentence the offender for only one of the violations.
Statutory reference:
Community service, requirements, see Ohio R.C. 2919.22(F)
License suspension, requirements, see Ohio R.C. 2919.22(G)
Permitting child abuse, felony offense, see Ohio R.C. 2903.15