Police: So many cockroaches in the home they thought the floor was moving.
INDIANA -- Two parents face child neglect and animal neglect charges after allegedly exposing their 11-year-old daughter to some of the worst living conditions some police officers reported ever seeing.According to the probable cause affidavit, William Jason Leonard and Donna Jean Leonard had piles of trash and dirty dishes in addition to animal feces-covered floors at their home in the 1100-block of Lombard Ave. There were so many cockroaches in the home that officers thought the floor was moving, police said.
Officers were dispatched to 1157 S Lombard Avenue in reference to a suicidal subject around 6:50 on Wednesday evening.
The suicidal subject was an 11-year-old girl who refused to come out of the residence. Once she did, she ran into a van and locked the doors. She stated that she did not want to live anymore because she was tired of her deplorable living conditions.
Officers then approached the home and looked through the windows and reported seeing two very malnourished dogs and, 'some of the worst living conditions I, as well as other officers, had seen,' the officer wrote in the affidavit.
"There was not a spot on the floor of the residence that was not covered by animal feces and urine," the affidavit stated. "On top of it, there were piles of trash and other miscellaneous debris. In the kitchen, there were dirty dishes everywhere and overflowing in the sink. The counters and floors were covered with trash and animal feces and urine. The floors appeared to be moving due to all the cockroaches inside of the residence."
Officers requested animal control officers to the scene who recovered two emaciated dogs and two cats. The dog' rib and hip bones, in addition to the spine were clearly visible due to the neglect, according to the affidavit.
One of the defendants, Donna Leonard, apparently told officers that it had been some time since they had been able to clean the house.
Officers then entered the home and described the interior as 'repulsive' and 'deplorable' especially for a young child to live in, according to the affidavit. Officers reported no notable food inside the home, rooms overflowing with trash and cockroaches going in and out of every crafter and crevice, according to the affidavit. The young girl's room was the cleanest, the officers said, but there there cockroaches crawling out of her mattress and pillow.
The young girl's stepfather, William Leonard, was working as an EMT for American Medical Response. Officers notified him that they were at his house and requested that he come there. After being read his Miranda rights, William Leonard allegedly told police that he had forgotten to clean when he left earlier in the morning. When speaking about the animals, he blamed their emaciated state on the animals' generic food, according to the affidavit.
Donna and William Leonard remain the in Vanderburgh County jail where they are being held without bond.
(TriState Homepage - March 24, 2016)
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