Global Courant 2023-05-26 20:53:10
Two Pennsylvania parents are being charged after their children were found in appalling conditions along with caged rats and other animals in a home outside of Philadelphia, a report said.
Shane Robertson, 47, and Crystal Robertson, 37, each face seven charges of endangering the welfare of children after police responded to a residence in West Rockhill Township on April 23, according to WPVI.
The children, who range in age from 4 to 16 years old, were described by Crystal Robertson as “garbage pickers with legs,” the agency reported, citing a police statement.
The document also said the mother told investigators that a refrigerator in the home was padlocked because the children “stole” food from it, WPVI added.
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The Pennridge Regional Police Department said in a press release Thursday that the children of the Roberston family were found on April 23. (Pennridge Regional Police)
Pennridge Regional Police discovered the alleged circumstances on April 23 after a caller reported seeing children enter an abandoned trailer in their neighborhood.
In a press release on Thursday, police said they found a 12-year-old girl who told officers she brought a blanket to keep her rats warm, according to WPVI. Then police reportedly saw a 14-year-old wearing dirty clothes.
The officers then took both children to the Robertsons, who live next door, and later returned with a Bucks County Children and Youth officer, WPVI reported.
Inside the house, police found four children hidden in a back bedroom, about two dozen caged rats, dogs, snakes and feces in numerous locations, the police department says.
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The children found by the Pennridge Regional Police Department are now in protective custody, a report said.
The children, who lived in “unsanitary and essentially unsafe” conditions, were eventually taken into protective custody, according to WPVI, citing the police statement.
The children were reportedly suffering from medical conditions, including malnutrition and low kidney function, while one of them had maggots in her hair.
Other children had their heads shaved due to severe tangles, while some required “extensive” dental treatment, the report said, citing police.
Police also found that the children were out of school and several of them did not know their own birthdays, the station added.
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Both Robertsons are now free Friday after posting 10 percent of $100,000 bail, WPVI reports.
The Pennridge Regional Police Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
