A Schuylkill County father who left his newborn, his 1-year-old and his 22-month-old son, who was in a makeshift wooden cage, home alone for hours on May 17 won a bail reduction Friday.

Judge John E. Domalakes granted Cecil E. Kutz, 38, of North Manheim Township, reduced bail after a hearing in which Kutz said his incarceration was hurting his ability to make a living.Domalakes reduced Kutz' bail from $250,000 straight cash to $25,000 cash. The bail was posted within hours, and Kutz was free to go as he awaits trial.He faces three counts each of endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment.Kutz was represented by Daniel C. Nevins, Reading, who argued that Kutz has no previous arrests, is employed, and is working with the Children & Youth Services agency to regain custody of his children.Nevins called Kutz to testify.Kutz said he repairs cars at his home, a duplexin the 300 block of Chestnut Street in Cressona for a living."Obviously this whole ordeal has hurt my business," he said. "I've got a lot of (expletive)-off customers because I've been in here for 45 days."He said his mother and sister and her 3-year-old son have returned to Schuylkill County from Portland, Oregon, to help him.His mother, Joan Kutz, testified she has moved intohalf of the Chestnut Street house to help her son as he works to regain custody of his children.She said she would supervise his interactions with his children. She keeps an eye on Kutz's side of the duplex, saying his girlfriend "comes and goes."Under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Debra A. Smith, Joan Kutz said she has no concerns about her son being around her 3-year-old grandson.Smith also called a Children & Youth caseworker to testify about what she saw when she entered Kutz's home.Smith asked that all but court personnel and those involved in the case be asked to leave the courtroom duringthe caseworker's testimony.Republican Herald reporter Peter E. Bortner objected, saying that would infringe on First Amendment rights as granted by the Constitution.Edmonds' supervisor balked, citing the confidentiality of the agency's records and information.Domalakes suggested the caseworker use the children's initials rather than their names to protect their identities."This is not a Children & Youth matter; this is a criminal court matter," he said.After Domalakes denied a request by Smith to continue the hearing to allow the agency to consult with its solicitor on the issue, the caseworker's supervisor told her to step down.Police say Kutz on May 17 left the children alone in a hot, dirty house while he visited his girlfriend in the hospital where she was being treated for complications after giving birth at home. According to state police at Schuylkill Haven, Kutz had called an ambulance at 9:30 a.m. May 17 after his girlfriend, Tiffany S. George, 26, began bleeding heavily after having given birth at home the night before.George, who has since been arrested on drug-related charges, told hospital staff her newborn was at home.When police went to the home, they found the toddler in the locked plywood and lattice cage, and the newborn in a car seat.The children, who had been alone for at least 40 minutes, were placed in the care of Schuylkill County Children & Youth Services.George was charged on May 26 by state police at Schuylkill Haven with having a controlled substance she was not authorized to have.