Ramona Bostian, 56, also from Licking County, who originally was charged by police with felonious assault and child endangering, was indicted on one count of obstructing justice, a third-degree felony.
Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said Ramona Bostian was not involved in the beating of the boys, but he declined to comment on the details of her alleged crime.
The indictment against Ramona Bostian states, she “did with purpose to hinder the discovery, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of another for crime to assist another for benefit from the commission of a crime.”
Rachel Bostian and Hawkins-Stephens are accused of tying up Alexander for about 22 hours on April 26 and, according to police, “severely” beating the boy on his head and body.
Police said Alexander’s brother, 6-year-old Damyan, was also injured in the attacks, but his injuries were not life-threatening and he is recovering.
The Stephens boys were sleeping in a tent near the Great Miami River with their mother and her two friends, who told police they came to the area looking for work.
According to court documents, the two boys were tied up with blankets for “stealing food.”
“After tying the boys up the (defendants) began punching and slapping the children in the face and about the body,” court records state. “The children were left tied up for over 24 hours and were given no food or water … this incident occurred in the wooded area near the river on North Verity Parkway.”
Middletown police served search warrants at Room 130 at the Parkway Inn where the women and children checked into on April 27 after receiving a voucher from an area charity.
A 1997 purple Dodge station wagon belonging to one of the women was also searched.
Seized by police from the vehicle were: a tent, box with wood sticks, bag with brown blanket, small tennis shoes, a black jacket and plastic bags.
Hawkins-Stephens told police “she not only struck the children with her hand, she also used a black belt and a piece of wood which was located at the Parkway Inn …” according to court records.
Bond remains at $1 million each for Hawkins-Stephens and Rachel Bostian and $500,000 for Ramona Bostian.
The women will be arraigned this month before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Greg Stephens.
While he acknowledges the women have a presumption of innocence before any trial, Gmoser said last month, “the facts of the case of what happened to this young boy and his brother are out there” in the police report.
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