Portsmouth Police found a special-needs child living in a feces-filled home after a caller tipped off police about a potentially dangerous living situation at a PMHA apartment on Waller Street. However, CPS workers didn’t seem to think the matter was serious enough to send anyone to the home.
A caller contacted PPD and said a woman with open warrants was living there with three men, one of whom had been barred from the complex. The caller said a special needs toddler also lived there, and they feared for the child’s safety.
When officers arrived around 3 pm, they described the apartment as extremely dirty, with trash, dog feces, and dirty diapers all around the floor. They spotted other safety issues, such as a knife within the child’s reach.
Officers noted that the child was moving around the apartment, putting multiple things in its mouth. They noted the child’s feet were dirty and appeared to have dog feces on them.
Officers took photos and contacted CPS. They advised the mother she should clean up while they waited for CPS to respond. CPS workers called back and said they did not believe the child to be in immediate danger and would follow up later.
Police arrested Sean Mahan on an open warrant for drug trafficking and told the mother they would be back later to see if she’d cleaned up.
Police booked Mahan into the Scioto County Jail on the drug trafficking warrant.
Officers returned to the apartment around 9 pm. They noted the woman had made progress cleaning up and had removed most of the dog feces and dirty diapers from the floor. Police took pictures of the improved conditions and told the woman that she needed to clean the house every day and not only when police were there.
Officers said they would forward their findings to CPS.
