BY JOHN A. DARNELL JR.
      associate editor
      A 63-year-old woman who operated a foster home at 351 Marlyn Place entered a plea of guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct, after being charged last April with two counts of child endangering.
      As part of her plea deal, Alfreda Atkins agreed not to take any foster children, according to court records. She was fined $150 on the disorderly conduct conviction and a 30 day jail sentence was suspended by Boardman Court Judge Joseph Houser.
      Atkins, also known as Alfreda White and Freda Burns, faced the child endangering charges following an investigation by Sgt. Michael Sweeney into allegations that surfaced after a social worker at Child Advocacy Center at Akron Childrens Hospital determined a 4-year-old boy showed signs of abuse and neglect.
      Boardman police were sent to the Advocacy Center on Mar. 19, after an Alta Preschool employee notified a social worker the child “had several suspicious marks and showed other signs of abuse and neglect,” Officer Evan Beil said.
      “Alta further advised [the child] often smelled like urine and feces, suffered from poor oral hygiene and came to school in clothes that were soiled and often were too small,” Officer Beil said.
      The child told the social worker he was often beaten with coat hangers and belts, and that other foster children in the Marlyn Place home also beat him.
      “Due to the issues, [the boy] and remaining foster children were removed from the home,” Officer Beil said.
      While investigating the allegations of child abuse, police were also told a man with a criminal record lived at the home.
      According to Officer Beil, the social worker said the man was “not supposed to be at the foster home because of his criminal record.”
      The 4-year-old boy was placed into the home last fall by the Cuyahoga County Childrens Services Agency and the foster care facility operates outside of the jurisdiction of Mahoning County Childrens Services.
      “[The Marlyn Place] address is not a home which the Mahoning County Children Services Board has recommended nor maintains,” Jennifer Kollar, public information officer told The Boardman News last April.
      Sgt. Sweeney said the home may operated and/or licensed under the jurisdiction of Ohio Mentor Inc, of Stutz Dr., Canfield, Oh.
      Records on file with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office show the filing agent for Ohio Mentor Inc. is the Institute for Family Centered Services Inc., of Boston, Mass.
      Now that the case against Atkins has been adjudicated, Sgt. Sweeney said steps will be taken to insure Atkins does not operate another foster home in Boardman.