NEWARK, Ohio – A Utica mother is facing charges for what police say is a heinous case of child abuse.
Emily Creno was indicted yesterday on child endangering and theft charges, for allegedly claiming her healthy son had terminal cancer. She’ll be arraigned Tuesday on the updated charges filed yesterday in Licking County court.
Creno, 31, is accused of shaving her son’s head and subjecting the four-year-old boy to unnecessary medical tests in a scheme that convinced him and others he was dying and bilked people out of donations sent in from around the country.
Creno was arrested in September and charged with child endangerment.
Creno’s attorney, Christopher Cooper, had filed court paperwork to pursue an insanity plea on the original charge and a competency evaluation for his client.
Court records show Creno’s son underwent various medical testing and monitoring that found no problems.