Police: Children left alone in feces-filled home
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 5:19 pm | Updated: 5:23 pm, Wed Apr 27, 2011.
Laurie Mason Schroeder
In what prosecutors are calling one of the worst cases of neglect they've seen, a Bristol mother has been charged with leaving her three young children alone in a feces-filled home.
Chelsea Champey, 21, of Spruce St., is charged with felony child endangerment and related counts. She was arrested on Monday after police went to her home to investigate an unrelated complaint and found three children, ages four, two and one in the house with no adult supervision.
"This is about as offensive as a child neglect and endangerment case gets," said deputy district attorney Blake Jackman. "This was pure neglect."
According to a police report, an officer knocked on the door around 10 a.m. and got no response. He saw the 4 year old looking out a window and gestured to him to open the door.
Once inside, the officer saw that there was an open bottle of liquor on the table, as well as the remains of a marijuana cigarette in an ashtray. Under the table was "feces that that did not appear to look like that of a domestic pet, but appeared to be human."
In the kitchen, the officer found food scattered on the floor and bags filled with rotted food stacked against the refrigerator.
"Much of the food in the home was found to be beyond its expiration date, including toddler food," the report states.
Upstairs, police found rooms filled with dirty laundry and more feces. On a nightstand there were a box of opened razor blades. There was no running water in the home and the tub was encrusted with a pinkish substance that had solidified.
"The tub appeared to have not been used in days or weeks," the report said.
A one year old girl was found inside a feces-smeared crib. More feces was on the carpet. Officers then noticed a hallway door that was dead-bolted. From the report:
"Upon unbolting and the opening the door, a strong odor of human feces could be smelled. (An officer) took notice of scape marks on the interior surface of the door. Beyond the door there is a stairwell leading to the third floor..."
The officer found a two year old girl on the third floor. She was naked and covered head to toe in feces, the report said, as was every piece of furniture in the room.
"The scrape marks on the inside of the door were inspected further and were within the reach of (the girl's) height and are suspected to have been from (the girl) clawing at the door to get out."
The children were taken downstairs and seated on a couch while police waited for social workers to arrive. One little girl pulled a cookie from between the couch cushions and began to eat it.
Boro building inspectors were called and declared the home unfit for human occupancy. There was only one smoke detector in the home, on the third floor, and it was chirping because the battery was dead.
Champey arrived home several hours later. Police say she claimed that she'd left the children with a babysitter.
She admitted that she locked the two year old upstairs, police said, telling an officer "if (the girl) was allowed downstairs, she would have the main floor in the same condition as the third floor."
Champey was sent to the county prison after failing to post ten percent of $75,000 bail. She did not have a lawyer as of this afternoon.
The children were placed in the custody of Bucks County Children and Youth.
Jackman said that even if Champey did leave the children with a babysitter, the conditions of the home show that they had been neglected for some time.
"From the state of the home, it would be clear to anyone that this didn't happen overnight," he said.
March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008