BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- A Morningview man was behind bars Friday after his two children told police he hit them and kicked them out of the house, forcing them to spend a cold night in the woods.
Charles McNay's 12-year-old daughter, Jennifer, and 11-year-old son, Justin, said they were helped by a neighbor after they stayed outside Wednesday night, when the temperature dropped to 39 degrees. The boy then led police to his dad's "stuff," court records said -- a box of marijuana, one pot plant growing in the woods and a white powdery substance the boy told police he'd seen his father snort.
Mr. McNay, 36, was arrested Thursday, about 24 hours after the children said he put them out of their trailer on Decoursey Pike. He faces two counts each of assault and criminal abuse. He pleaded not guilty Friday and was assigned a public defender. His bail was set at $5,000.
Neighbor calls police
Jennifer and Justin told Kenton County police their father came home about 9 p.m. Wednesday, hit Justin in the face with a shoe, grabbed him by his shirt and threw him to the floor, according to Sgt. Phil Harney's report. The father then slammed the boy's head against the kitchen counter, the report said, leaving Justin with a black eye and bruises on his neck and throat.
Mr. McNay then banged his daughter's head against a bathroom wall, causing an abrasion on her neck, according to the report. After that, the kids said, Mr. McNay kicked them out of the trailer. The siblings apparently stayed alone until about 2 p.m. the next day, when they showed up at a neighbor's house on Harrisburg Road. There, they told Tonya Belser what happened, and she called police.
Sgt. Harney responded to the house, then took the children back to their trailer to pick up some personal items. It was then, the report said, that Justin went into a back bedroom and brought out the cardboard box of marijuana. The boy then said his dad got the marijuana from the woods outside, and showed Sgt. Harney where his father goes in and out of the woods.
The officer found one plant about 6 to 8 feet tall, according to a request for a search warrant filed by an officer of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force. The specialized drug unit was called in after the boy showed Sgt. Harney the marijuana and reported that his dad also keeps white powdery substances in a detached garage. The warrant request did not say what, if anything, investigators found in their search.
Mr. McNay, a construction worker, is scheduled to return to court Oct. 27.
