Law enforcement officers sprang into action to help some severely neglected children after their dad walked into the Sheriff’s Office with a group of kids they described as filthy, hungry, and injured.
We told you yesterday that deputies responded to the home of a man who was unable to speak or hear after he was assaulted by his ex-wife. The following day, the man came into the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office with his three children to follow up on that report.
However, officers saw that the children were filthy and appeared not to have bathed in several days. Officers said the children’s clothes were stained, their hair was greasy and matted, and they smelled of body odor and dirty socks.
While the man filled out his statement, officers used baby wipes to clean caked dirt from the children’s faces and hands. The office clerk asked the children if they had eaten, and when they said no, she returned with snacks. According to the report, the kids devoured the food as if they hadn’t eaten in days.
Deputies also noted cuts, scratches, and scabs on the smallest child. The older children informed them a dog had attacked the child but that she hadn’t been treated at a hospital.
Officers called CPS, but the man left the building with the children. A deputy outside said the man wandered away from his children as he was crossing the street.
They also learned there had been a previous incident involving the man and his children and that they were still wearing the same clothing.