East Palestine man charged after naked children found in road

Paul Smith

 An East Palestine man is facing multiple charges, including two counts of child endangerment, after two young children were found naked and nearly struck by a vehicle in a local roadway earlier this week.

Paul Mason Smith, 30, of E. North Ave., was charged following the incident on Monday. According to court documents filed in Columbiana County Municipal Court, a witness reported seeing two naked male juveniles, ages 2 and 4, in the roadway. Andrews told police the children were almost hit by a vehicle before she moved them to a nearby porch. One of the children reportedly told the witness that "dad was in his car and mom was at the store and no one was watching them."

When officers arrived at the home, they found a side door ajar and went inside, where they found a total of six juveniles inside but no adults. Smith was eventually located in the attic and told the officers he was unaware his two sons were in the roadway.

The court affidavit states that Smith was asked to come to the police department later that evening to discuss the incident but failed to appear. When officers later attempted to arrest Smith at his home on a warrant from the Columbiana County Sheriff's Office, they said they found him hiding in a closet to avoid arrest.

Smith is accused of creating a "substantial risk" to the children's health and safety by allowing them to be in the roadway naked and unsupervised. He also faces a charge of obstructing justice for allegedly hiding from officers.

All charges are first-degree misdemeanors. Smith pleaded “not guilty” during an arraignment.   A pretrial hearing is set for 1 p.m. May 29, 2025, in Courtroom A before Judge Timothy J. McNicol.