7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum found dead last summer

DAYTON — The mother and boyfriend charged in 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum’s death appeared in court on Thursday.

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News Center 7’s Mike Campbell was in the courtroom and will have the latest LIVE on News Center 7 at 6:00.

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Ashley Johnson, Creachbaum’s mother, and Michael Kendrick, Johnson’s boyfriend, were arraigned on new charges.

As previously reported, Creachbaum’s remains were found near the McClure Street bridge.

Arraignments typically take place on a docket where 30 or more people face a judge, however Johnson and Kendrick were the only defendants in the courtroom.

Kendrick faces four new charges, with the most serious being murder.

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He pleaded not guilty.

Johnson now faces tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse charges.

She also pleaded not guilty.

Body camera video from last summer shows Dayton police trying to find Creachbaum after being called to a home on Xenia Avenue.

Kendrick and Johnson both said they didn’t know where the young boy was.

“I want answers to the questions I have, I want to know, like what did he do so wrong to him? You know, why wouldn’t she protect him?” Jessica McNier previously said.

McNier, Creachbaum’s great aunt, spoke with News Center 7 last week after prosecutors announced the new charges.

“I think she should get the murder charges too, I mean, she was supposed to protect him, she didn’t at all. How could you be a mother and live in the same house knowing your son’s dead?” she said.

Both Johnson and Kendrick’s attorneys have asked the judge to throw out statements they made to police during an interview after Creachbaum’s remains were found.

There is also no timeline on when the judge will rule on whether those statements can be used when their trial begins.

We will continue to follow this story.

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