Couple Indicted on Endangering Children Charges for Alleged Abuse of 17-Month-Old

(BRYAN, Ohio)— Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that an Ohio couple is now facing a total of more than a dozen charges related to the alleged abuse of a 17-month-old girl.

“I have made it a priority in my office to protect vulnerable children who cannot defend themselves,” said Attorney General DeWine. “The investigation into this case alleges that this child suffered abuse that no child should have to endure.”

Prosecutors with Attorney General DeWine’s Special Prosecutions Section presented the case to a Williams County grand jury this morning.  The grand jury returned superseding indictments against the child’s mother and her boyfriend with a total of 14 charges.

Alan K. Laney, 48, of Montpelier, is now charged with:

  • Two counts of felonious assault, felonies the second degree
  • Two counts of endangering children, felonies of the second degree
  • Seven counts of endangering children, felonies of the third degree

Alisha M. Underwood, 25, of Hicksville, is now charged with:

  • Two counts of endangering children, felonies of the third degree
  • One count of endangering children, a misdemeanor of the first degree

The abuse is alleged to have occurred in early June of this year.  Laney is accused of allegedly committing the abuse over a two-day period, while Underwood is accused of allegedly failing to protect the child from harm.

The case was investigated by the Montpelier Police Department and is being prosecuted as part of Attorney General DeWine’s Crimes Against Children Initiative.

The superseding indictments filed today against Alan K. Laney and Alisha M. Underwood can be found on the Ohio Attorney General’s website.