Posted on 10/30/2002 6:24:52 PM PST by chance33_98
Parents in Filthy Home Arrested, Face Charges of Child Neglect
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Police responding to a report of an attempted suicide say they were shocked by what they found.
When police arrived at the home on the 3800 block of East Michigan, they didn’t find any indication of an attempted suicide. But Indiana Police Department officers say they saw the worst living conditions they have ever seen.
Police found trash and dirty clothing all over the floors of the home. There was an open trash can with dirty kitty litter in the middle of the living room. Cockroaches were crawling all over the floor and walls. Police said the house was being heated only by an electric oven in the kitchen.
Two boys, ages 6 and 12, were found sleeping in an upstairs bedroom. Authorities say their beds were infested with bugs and the children had several bug bites. Police are also looking for a teenage girl who is believed to live in the house.
Police arrested the mother of the children, Mary Hicks, 29, and the father of one of the children, Christopher Lee Clark. They face two counts of neglect of a dependent, and are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
"I tried to get them to help me clean. I've offered them money. The kids get everything they want and they don't never do nothing [sic]. It's want, want, want but you try to get them to do something, they won't do it," said Clark.
Landlord Ron Merrill said he was shocked that the property was so filthy, and said he planned to file an emergency eviction notice immediately.
"It made me uncomfortable to even be in the house. I feared for my own health as well as that of the kids that were inside there. There's no way I can imagine anyone would actually live like that," said Officer Mark Rand, who responded to the call.
News 8 will have more on this story at 5:00 and 6:00 pm.
I don't recall, to be honest, but I'm sure I must have been attempting humor, and probably at least slightly liquored up. There are good people and bad people, and in-between people in every community, of every race, of every creed, and of every socio-economic level.
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