An argument between a man and woman in the Croydon section of Bristol Township was so heated police were called leading to authorities removing their children with each facing child endangerment charges and police discovering a wanted man hiding behind a bedroom door in the home which police described as squalid conditions.
Danielle Johnson 36, and Christopher Scarpiello, 38Start slideshow. were preliminary arraigned by District Judge Daniel J. Finello Jr. last Tuesday. Each was charged with felony counts of child endangerment, and they were remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10 percent of $75,000.00 bail with a court date tentatively scheduled for July 9 at Bristol Borough District Court.
According to court records obtained by Lower Bucks Source, Bristol Township Police were dispatched to the 1100 block of Nancy Drive in Croydon for the report of a domestic dispute after 11 a.m. on May 17. When officers arrived on scene they heard a male and female arguing in a locked bedroom. Police officers announced their presence and both subjects refused to come out, as they pushed against the door preventing police entry.
Eventually, Johnson agreed to come out and speak to township officers. When Johnson opened the door to the bedroom, police saw a male, Scarpiello, holding a newborn child “RS”, according to the probable cause.
Directly across the hall was a bedroom whose door was halfway open. Police asked Johnson if that was her older son’s room “KC”, to which she replied yes. She seemed hesitant to talk about that room, according to officers’ notes in court records. Officers further investigated, looked through the open door and noticed that it actually contained a crib and no bed. Looking further inside, police saw an individual concealing himself against the side wall behind the door. That individual, Lee Dionne, 35 had a warrant and was taken into custody, police wrote in court papers.
Based on all of the above alleged facts, police determined that it was not safe for the children to be left in Scarpiello or Johnson’s care. Both children were placed in protective custody by the police and turned over to Bucks County Children and Youth.
Scarpiello looked extremely lethargic to the point of falling asleep while standing up, officers noted in the probable cause affidavit. He was ordered out of the bedroom and put the child in a bassinet located in an adjacent bedroom. This was prior to police taking the child into protective custody. Scarpiello complied, but almost dropped the infant due to his physical state. RS was safely placed in a bassinet, and Scarpiello was escorted downstairs by police officers.
Scarpiello while sitting on the couch could not stay awake. He nodded off, falling forward with his head in his lap. During conversations he drifted off and fell asleep. Based on the police officer’s training and experience, it was clear to him that Scarpiello was under the influence of narcotics, the probable cause alleges.
Police spoke with Johnson upstairs. Johnson was extremely manic, switching back and forth between topics. She would routinely pick up papers that had no meaning, shuffling them around and then moving on to other tasks. She gave conflicting stories about the argument and Scarpiello’s condition, claiming neither did drugs. Based on Johnson’s manic behavior and physical appearance, she appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamines, police said.
In the bedroom, where initial contact was made, there was a metal tray on the floor in plain view. On top of this tray were various credit/debit cards covered in white powder, and tiny crystals. The crystals are consistent with methamphetamine, and the powder looks like crushed up pills. There was also cut up straw, which is a common method used to ingest narcotics, police alleged.
Scarpiello later admitted to snorting crystal meth a previous day, but denied other drug use, court records show.
The entire house was in disarray. The upstairs bedroom where the child was supposedly staying was extremely dirty, and filled with hazards. There were no covers on any mattresses, and multiple cigarette burns were seen on the mattress where Johnson and Scarpiello sleep. In the same room where the child sleeps. Police observed the same burns on the mattresses. Johnson even lit up a cigarette in that bedroom in front of the infant, police said. Neither defendant had an attorney of record as of publication time.
Although it’s not clearly indicated, Dionne’s warrant appears to be connected to a March 2025 arrest in which he was charged with defiant trespass, in Bristol Township. He has a pre-trial guilty plea conference set for August and remains in the custody of Bucks County Jail.
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