Friday, January 7, 2011

Woman Charged With Child Abuse for Dirty House

I was told by a law enforcement officer that in TN children could be left in the conditions described in this story as long as they were old enough to walk upright and not crawling through it.  I hope that is not still true and am very glad it's not true in North Dakota.  As usual, drugs were involved.

A Bismarck woman is accused of child abuse after police and social workers found her home in disarray.

Sarah Crabtree, 29, was charged Wednesday with Class C felony abuse or neglect of a child.

According to court documents, Crabtree also is known by the last names Pittman and Lupkiewich. She also appeared in court on Wednesday on unrelated Class C felony charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of methamphetamine.

South Central District Judge Bruce Haskell set bond for her at $3,000 cash or surety and prohibited her from having contact with three children without the permission of Burleigh County Social Services.
Bismarck Police Sgt. Mark Buschena said a social worker with Burleigh County Social Services asked for police assistance at 4:33 p.m. Tuesday in investigating the state of a home where three children lived. Responding officers found the home in “complete disarray” and reported it was difficult to walk through due to clothing, garbage, a broken mirror, broken glass, open scissors, knives and old food on the floor.

Three children, a 6-year-old boy and 4- and 3-year-old girls, lived at the home and had made a “fort” out of dirty clothes and a television in a closet. The children were walking barefoot through the home and one child injured a foot walking through the garbage.

Buschena said a police report said social services had been investigating the living conditions at the home for some time.

In court, Crabtree said she plans to enter drug treatment when released from jail so she can be reunited with her children.

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