WEST ROCKHILL TWP., PA – Two Bucks County, Pennsylvania, parents have been charged with multiple crimes after their seven children were found in deplorable conditions.
Shane Robertson, 47, and Crystal Robertson, 37, of West Rockhill Township, are charged with seven counts of endangering the welfare of children.
The age of the children is from 16 to four years.
The investigation began with a report of children entering an abandoned trailer on April 23 at Green Top Trailer Park, according to a news release from the Pennridge Police Department Thursday.
Police found a 12-year-old girl who told officers she was taking a blanket to keep her rats warm because her family didn’t have much money left.
While they were talking, a 14-year-old girl appeared from behind the manor. Police say neither girl was properly dressed, saying the 14-year-old was wearing dirty clothes.
When police brought the children to their parents, who live in a nearby trailer, police say they found “terrible” living conditions and a locked refrigerator.
According to the affidavit, Crystal Robertson told police the lock was there because the children were “stealing” food and called the children “garbage collectors with legs.”
Police later returned with an investigator from the Bucks County Department of Children and Youth Services and found four more children hiding in a back bedroom.
Officers say they found feces in several areas of the home and some walls and floors were in disrepair.
About two dozen rats were found in the cages. Many other animals were also found, including dogs and snakes.
The living conditions were deemed “unsanitary and essentially unsafe,” police said, and the children were taken into custody.
A medical examination of the children at the hospital revealed that most of them were malnourished, police said that some of the children had poor kidney function.
Two of the children had to have their heads shaved due to severe matting, and one of these children was found to have ringworm in her hair.
Two of the children required “extensive” dental treatment, and some of the children needed glasses, police said.
According to the police, the investigation revealed that none of the seven children had attended school and had no basic knowledge. Some of them did not know their birthday.
According to police, the children exhibited social anxiety and allegedly told officials they did not like being in public or around other people.
The Robertsons are free after posting 10% of $100,000 bail.
