A Scioto County mother has joined the father of their 4-month-old baby girl as a defendant in the injury of that child.

Trista Carver is awaiting a date for a pretrial on a charge of endangering a child, a third-degree felony.

Carver joins the father, John C. Ledford, of Arizona Avenue, Franklin Furnace, who already was facing the same charge after being arrested.

Ledford had been taken into custody after his daughter was reported by hospital officials to have suffered nine broken bones over the first four months of her life.

In April, the Scioto County Sheriff's Office dispatch center received a call of a possible child abuse case from the Wheelersburg Urgent Care.

Scioto County Sheriff Marty Donini said detectives had gone to the Urgent Care, where they learned about the baby being treated for injuries, including several fractures.

At that time, sheriff's detective Jodi Conkel reported the baby was transported to Children's Hospital in Columbus, where they discovered the fractures, “all in different stages,” Conkel said. “That averages out to a broken bone every two weeks of her life.”

Ledford had been arraigned on July 26, and is awaiting his next court date. At that time, the mother had not been charged, but on Aug. 8, Scioto County Prosecutor Mark Kuhn reported the charge had been filed against Carver as well.

Kuhn said the charge of child endangering carries with it the stipulation of “failure to care, protect or support the child.”

Kuhn's office reports the assignment commissioner has been on vacation, and expects a date for each parent to be set soon.

FRANK LEWIS can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.