A man has been charged after police say he left his children unattended several times to ride a roller coaster at Cedar Point.
Sandusky police said that on August 17, a woman saw a small child playing in the dirt near the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster. The woman walked back to the Corkscrew with the child and discovered a cart with another unattended child inside. The woman told police she waited nearly 20 minutes until the children’s father showed up.
The father, Anthony Gallina, 36, told police he and his oldest daughter, 9, got in line for the Corkscrew, leaving his 8-year-old daughter to watch his other two daughters, 2 and 4. He told cops he only stood in line for a few minutes and then returned, but police noticed the ride was halted for at least 20 minutes while Gallina was in line.
Gallina and his daughters arrived at the amusement park around 1:30 p.m., and after officers spoke with Gallina, they discovered that he had left his children unattended several times throughout the day.
According to court documents, Gallina is charged with child endangerment because he failed to exercise a duty of supervision and placed his children in substantial danger. A judge ruled that he could be released on bail because he was the only one caring for his children.
The incident was reported to the Seneca County Department of Employment and Family Services because Gallina and his children are from Kansas, Ohio.
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