Inset: Anthony Gallina and one of his daughters. Background: Anthony Gallina and his daughters at Cedar Point amusement park (Sandusky Police Department).
This story doesn’t end in tragedy, but instead, a stern talking to — and a parent who, police say, appears to have learned an important lesson at an amusement park last week.
There’s also a misdemeanor charge in the first degree. But things could have gone a lot worse all around.
Anthony Gallina, 36, who hails from Kansas, Ohio, stands accused of one count of endangering children, according to authorities. In a statement, the Sandusky Police Department attributed the charge to “him failing to provide supervision for his children” which could have resulted in “causing a substantial risk of harm to the children.”
Police say the father of four left three of his minor daughters alone while he went to go ride on a roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky. And it may have happened more than once.
The alleged incident occurred on the evening of Friday, Aug. 16, when a security guard at the 364-acre amusement park owned by Six Flags contacted law enforcement about an unattended child.
The security guard told police that a woman found a 2-year-old girl playing in the dirt near the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster, in the park’s midway, according to an incident report obtained by Law&Crime.
The woman and the toddler then walked a short distance due south to the Corkscrew roller coaster.
“The female located a wagon in front of the Corkscrew with another small child that was unattended,” the incident report reads. “She advised that she waited for almost 20 minutes before the father of the child appeared.”
When Gallina later spoke with police, he allegedly admitted to leaving his 8-year-old daughter to watch his 4-year-old and 2-year-old daughters while he rode the Corkscrew with his 9-year-old daughter.
“He advised that he was only in line for only a couple of minutes and then returned to his children,” the incident report continues. “It should be noted that the ride was shut down during this time for at least 20 minutes while Anthony was waiting in line.”
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As the conversation continued, Gallina allegedly admitted to immediately riding the Gatekeeper roller coaster with his eldest immediately after arriving at around 1:30 p.m. that day. But, he said, “he could see his other three children while he was in line.”
Apparently buoyed by this experience, Gallina admittedly left his youngest children unattended more than once, police say.
When asked how many rides he rode without the younger children, the defendant “stated three but one of the rides he rode twice,” according to police, who believe the 4-year-old and 2-year-old girls were “left unattended multiple different times throughout the day.”
Law enforcement determined Gallina, however, was the only person who takes care of the children. So, a judge was contacted on the spot and the father was released on his own recognizance with a summons.
Police also decided to report the incident to the Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services.
In police body-worn camera footage of the arrest obtained by Law&Crime, the father stands glumly watching law enforcement speak to one another while his four daughters sit around and inside of the red cloth wagon used to transport them through the amusement park.
Anthony Gallina with his daughters (Sandusky Police Department).
At one point, one of the girls lies down, bored and listlessly stretching her back across the edge of the wagon. Then, another girl attempts to get out of it. Gallina puts the climbing girl back inside the wagon and says: “I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry. You’ve gotta stay.”
Moments later, the girl stands up again and cries: “Daddy.”
Gallina was arraigned on Aug. 19 where he pleaded not guilty to the lone count against him, Sandusky Municipal Court records show. He is currently slated to next appear in court on sept. 18 for a hearing.
In comments to Cleveland-based Fox affiliate WJW, police framed the incident as a learning experience for the father.
“After speaking with the officers, he realized that it wasn’t a good choice of his,” the police department spokesperson said. “I think he even made comments about it wasn’t a smart choice on his behalf.”
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