43-year-old Lonnie Lowndes of Homer City is scheduled for a preliminary hearing today on charges of endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment.
The case originated last May and the charges were filed in March. Lowndes is accused of abusing drugs in his home. One child told Children and Youth Services that Lowndes used drugs in the home and once was even found passed out in a bedroom with a needle in his arm. The child told of stepping on heroin syringes and handling other drug paraphernalia, of people coming and going from the home every day, and of the children being hit with a belt buckle as a disciplinary measure.
The charges filed by Homer City police are mostly misdemeanors, including one count of endangering the welfare of children, three counts of reckless endangerment, and two counts of simple assault. There are also two summary counts of harassment. The hearing today is before Judge Susanne Steffee at one o’clock.
