YOUNGSTOWN - A Youngstown woman has pleaded ‘not guilty’ to charges filed after a deputy investigated reports of a three-year-old girl allegedly being punched.

Samantha McCann, 24, was arraigned in Youngstown Municipal Court on charges of child endangerment and domestic violence.

The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department filed the charges following an investigation that began after complaints from Children’s Services that the child had a black eye, as well as bruises on her face and earlobes.

According to investigators, the child said she had been struck with a closed fist.

Former foster parents provided authorities with photos of the girl’s injuries dating back to September.

McCann, the girlfriend of the child’s father, claimed that the injuries came from sleeping on a pillow the wrong way and accidentally hitting her head on a toddler bed.

Another court hearing for McCann is scheduled for April 23.