Masury woman accused of buying son fireworks, allowing kids to play with them
A Masury woman was arrested on Saturday after police say she allowed several children to play with fireworks.
Police were dispatched to a townhouse complex on Addison Road in reference to an 11-year-old girl with burn marks on her hand. Upon arrival, police observed a small third-degree burn on her hand, which she told officers still hurt.
According to a police report, the caller told officers that her aunt's and sister's daughters were outside playing with the neighbor's kids before running back inside stating she never wanted to play with them again after her injury.
Police say the caller spoke with the mother of the neighbor's kids, identified as 30-year-old Rachel Porterfield, she admitted to the caller that she had bought her son fireworks further stating that it wasn't the kids' fault that the girl had grabbed the fireworks.
Officers spoke with the other girl who told them at one point, a kid put a firework in a bottle and asked the girl to hold it. Police say the firework exploded in her hand once she took it.
The two girls were aged 11 and 13 years old respectively, under the legal age to handle fireworks in Ohio, which is 18 years old.
Police spoke to Porterfield and her son. According to the report, Porterfield's son told officers that he did place the firework in the bottle, but was trying to warn the girl not to pick it up, but says other kids were encouraging her to do so.
Porterfield was charged with Child Endangerment and was transported to the Trumbull County Jail.