The father and stepmother charged with endangering their 12-year-old daughter by allegedly locking her in the basement will be in Butler County Juvenile Court on Tuesday.

Shawn Blackston, 40, and Joanna Blackston, 36, will have a pre-trial hearing before visiting Judge Matthew Crehan to establish the case’s proceedings.

The Blackstons each face a misdemeanor charge of child endangering. The couple was arrested in early July, just days after Butler County Children Services and Middletown police were called to their home at 1606 Philadelphia Avenue. Police and children services officials said the girl was allegedly locked in the basement for nearly a month.

The Blackstons had faced felony kidnapping and unlawful restraint charges, but the Butler County grand jury dismissed those charges and certified the child endangering charges to juvenile court because the case involved a juvenile.

On July 3, children services and the police were called after the county agency received an anonymous complaint of abuse at the Blackston home. After children services investigators saw the “deplorable living conditions,” Middletown police were contacted. The six children — ages 15, 14, 12, 9, 3 and 2 — were removed and placed into foster care.

The girl had been allegedly locked in the basement of the Philadelphia Avenue home from June 18, a month after the 2011-12 school year ended, until July 3.

Joanna Blackston has been out of jail since July 10 on $25,000 bond. Shawn Blackston was in Middletown Municipal Jail and then Butler County Jail before posting bond Sept. 4.

“Hopefully we’ll be shedding some light on the big picture,” said Attorney Ched Peck, who was retained by Joanna Blackston, about Tuesday’s hearing.

He said his client, though concerned about the child endangering allegations, does want to be reunited with her children.

Shawn Blackston’s public defender attorney, Daniel Allnutt, could not be reached for comment.

An organizational change at Butler County Children Services is expected soon in the wake of the case. Butler County Commission President Don Dixon said the board is looking at ways to improve services and share information.

Reports from an ombudsman assigned to children services and the agency’s quality assurance manager indicated the agency did not do enough to protect children in the Blackston case.

Monroe attorney Randy Turner, guardian ad litem for the 15-year-old, said there were a number of red flags that something was wrong at the Blackston home.

Butler County Children Services Director Jeff Centers said followup did not happen soon enough after the release of internal reports that the oldest child had asked that someone check on her siblings’ living conditions. Two BCCS employees involved in the Blackston case remain on paid leave pending a determination if disciplinary action is needed, Centers said.