(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 child with a mental or physical disability 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 child with a mental or physical disability 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.
(c) (1) No person shall operate a vehicle in violation of Section 434.01(a) of the Traffic Code when one or more children under eighteen 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 subsection (c) hereof and a violation of Section 434.01(a) of the Traffic Code that constitutes the basis of the charge of the violation of subsection (c) hereof. For purposes of Ohio R.C. 4511.191 to 4511.197 and all related provisions of law, a person arrested for a violation of subsection (c) hereof shall be considered to be under arrest for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them or for operating a vehicle with a prohibited concentration of alcohol, a controlled substance, or a metabolite of a controlled substance in the whole blood, blood serum or plasma, breath, or urine.
(2) As used in subsection (c) hereof:
A. “Controlled substance” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 3719.01.
B. "Vehicle" has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 4511.01.
(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 pursuing 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)(l) 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)(l) 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) or (5) 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) ofthis 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, the court may also impose upon the offender one or both of the following sanctions:
1. It may require the offender, as part of his or her sentence and in the manner described in Ohio R.C. 2919.22(F), to perform not more than 200 hours of supervised community service work under the authority of any agency, political subdivision, or charitable organization of the type described in Ohio R.C. 2951.02(F)(1), provided that the court shall not require the offender to perform supervised community service work under this division unless the offender agrees to perform the supervised community service work.
2. It may suspend the driver's license or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege of the offender for up to 90 days, in addition to any suspension or revocation of the offender's driver's license or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege under Ohio R.C. Chapter 4506, 4507, 4509 or 4511, or any other provision of law.
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. 4511.99, or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, and also shall be subject to all other sanctions that are required or authorized by any provision of law for that violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A), or a substantially similar municipal ordinance.
(f) (1) 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.
(2) A. If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of division (c) of this section but the person is not also convicted of and does not also plead guilty to a separate charge of violating 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, both the following apply:
1. For purposes of the provisions of Ohio R.C. 4511.99, or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, that set forth the penalties and sanctions for a violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A), or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, the conviction of or plea of guilty to the violation of division (c) of this section shall not constitute a violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A), or a substantially similar municipal ordinance.
2. For purposes of the provisions of law that refers to a conviction of or plea of guilty to a violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A), or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, and that is not described in division (f)(2)A.l. of this section, the conviction of or plea of guilty to the violation of division (c) of this section shall constitute a conviction or plea of guilty to a violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A), or a substantially similar municipal ordinance.
B. If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of division (c) of this section and the person also is convicted of or pleads guilty to a separate charge of violating 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) ofthis section, the conviction of or plea of guilty to the violation of division (c) of this section shall not constitute, for the purposes of any provision of law that refers to a conviction of or a plea of guilty to a violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A) or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, a conviction of or a plea of guilty to a violation of Ohio R.C. 4511.19(A) or a substantially similar municipal ordinance.
(ORC 2919.22(A)- (E), (H))
Statutory reference:
Community service, requirements, see Ohio R.C. 2919.22(F)
License suspension, requirements, see Ohio R.C. 2919.22(0)
Permitting child abuse, felony offense, see Ohio R.C. 2903.15