Charges against the parents of a toddler found in a smoke-filled apartment Nov. 25 are headed to Mercer County Common Pleas Court.

District Justice Henry J. Russo, Hermitage, on Friday held for court charges of endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person against Lisa Marie Boyle, 27, and Lawrence Schultz, 33, formerly of 1465 Bolde Drive, Apartment 2D, Hermitage. They were released on their own recognizance.

Hermitage police said the couple were found passed out from drinking in their Shenango Park Apartment after a pot of noodle soup burned on the stove. Their 16-month-old son, Alexis Schultz, was hospitalized after the fire and is in the custody of Mercer County Children and Youth Services, police said.

Shenango Park Apartments manager Donna Bell said the Nov. 25 fire was the second smoke incident at their apartment and they were to be evicted Dec. 2. A message left with the apartment office Monday, asking for confirmation that the couple had been evicted, was not returned.

Though the fire was ruled accidental, Robert S. Goeltz, Hermitage fire chief, said Ms. Boyle had been involved in at least two other fire-related incidents in the city. The family's former home in Dutch Lane Mobile Home Estates was destroyed by fire last February.