Mother also charged with child endangerment

A Coal Grove man arrested on accusations of hurting a child is now accused of attempting to murder the child, while the mother of the child is facing multiple felony charges.

Shane C. Blanton, 38, of Ironton, was originally charged with 14 felony counts of child endangerment and felonious assault. 

After the grand jury indictment, he is facing eight counts of first-degree felony attempted murder, 12 counts of third-degree felonious assault, eight counts of second-degree felonious assault, two counts of second-degree felony pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, one county fourth-degree felony resisting arrest and one count of fifth-degree felony violating a protection order.

Lawrence County Prosecutor Brigham Anderson said in April that he intended prosecute Blanton to the fullest extent of the law.

If found guilty on all 38 charges, Blanton could be sentenced to 75-296 years in prison.

The victim’s mother, Erica Waddell, 34, Ironton, is facing 12 counts of third-degree felony child endangering.

The victim in this case, referred to in the indictments only by the initials “C.W.” was age 2 when the alleged assaults first took place. Blanton is not related to the boy, the boy’s mother and Blanton had dated and he babysat the child.

The charges in both cases stem from a five-month period from Nov. 1, 2022–April 5, 2023.

The case began on April 5,  after the Ironton Police Department got a call from the Lawrence County Children Services about a child abuse case and need law enforcement.

A patrol officer was sent and once they realized the severity of the case, called in the IPD detective bureau to investigate.

“Once we got there, we found evidence of child abuse that Shane Blanton had engaged in an assault,” IPD detective Capt. Brian Pauley said. 

It was the boy’s mother that found the evidence and called CPS. “We found enough evidence that we felt we would be able to charge him.”

Blanton was not on the scene when officers arrived. He was later arrested in Coal Grove after running from the Coal Grove Police Department and striking Coal Grove Police Chief Bill Murphy in the throat as he tried to arrest Blanton.

Blanton is being held in the Lawrence County Jail.

The investigation is still ongoing and Blanton’s phone has been sent to Ohio Narcotics Information Center to be analyzed.