Seven children were taken from a Pennsylvania home and their parents arrested after police allegedly discovered them malnourished and living in a house in deplorable conditions.
Officers with the Pennridge Regional Police Department responded to the 600 block of Roseann Lane on the afternoon of April 23 for a report of two minors entering an abandoned trailer, according to a police report filed May 19. Police found two girls, 12 and 14, who appeared neglected and lived in a trailer next door.
Out of concern for the girls, officers asked their parents, Shawn and Crystal Robertson, to see their living arrangements.
The house was «in obvious disrepair and disarray,» the report says. There was also a bike lock on the refrigerator at home which Crystal claimed was because they were low on food and she referred to the children as «legged garbage disposals».
Police also found another child, a 16-year-old girl, at the residence. Bucks County Children and Youth responded to the home to investigate.
Upon further investigation, four other children were found hiding in a back room: girls ages 4, 8, and 10, as well as a 6-year-old boy. Shawn told officers that he didn’t tell them about the other kids earlier because «he doesn’t want to get in any trouble,» according to the report.
Investigators found unsanitary living conditions in the home, including a foul odor, various insects, two dozen rats in cages, as well as feces on the floor and on a blanket. Many parts of the house looked as if they had not been cleaned in a long period of time, with the bathroom, kitchen, floors and walls in need of repair.
Also found in the home were «two dogs, two turtles, two rabbits, snakes, toads, and a four-foot reptile known as a Tegu,» the report states.
The Robertsons were arrested and charged with seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child. All seven children were sent to a hospital for examination and placed in foster care.
All but one child were found to be clinically malnourished, two children tested positive for Covid-19, two had low kidney function and three had a fever and were diagnosed with acute viral syndrome, according to the report.
Two of the boys needed extensive dental work, two needed corrective eye care, and two needed to have most of their hair shaved off due to the high amount of tangles.
The children were also found to have no formal education and had problems with reading, writing and spelling, according to the report.
«All exhibited social anxiety and revealed that they disliked being in public or with other people,» the report states.
Shawn and Crystal Robertson posted 10% of the $10,000 bail, according to police. It is unclear at this time if they have legal representation.