Man left 3 of his children unattended to ride roller coasters at amusement park, police say

SANDUSKY, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) - A man has been charged with endangering children after Ohio police say he left three of his kids unattended while he rode roller coasters at Cedar Point.

According to Sandusky police, a woman initially found a young child alone playing in the dirt on Saturday near the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster. The woman and the girl then walked towards the Corkscrew roller coaster and came across a wagon with another unattended child sitting inside.

The woman waited for 20 minutes until the father, identified by police as Anthony Gallina, of Kansas, Ohio, returned.

Gallina told police that he and his daughter were in line for the Corkscrew roller coaster. While they were gone, he left his 8-year-old daughter to watch over his other two daughters, ages 2 and 4 years old.

According to police, Gallina and his daughters arrived at Cedar Point around 1:30 p.m. He allegedly left his children unattended multiple times while he rode three rides.

Gallina was later charged with endangering children for failing to provide supervision and causing substantial risk or harm to his children.

The Sandusky Police Department said because he is the only one to care for the children, Gallina was released from custody on his own recognizance and the incident was reported to the Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services.

According to court records, Gallina appeared in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty.

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