Melanie Todd and Christopher Todd face four counts each of child endangerment and several animal-cruelty charges after a Sept. 29 welfare check at their Cardinal Court home in Middletown. Police removed the couple’s four children from the residence, where the complaint alleges there was little to no edible food and the home was infested with bedbugs and cockroaches.
Officers were dispatched to the home for the welfare check on Sept. 29, according to FOX19, which cited court documents detailing what police found inside. The complaint describes floors covered in dirty clothes, trash, animal feces and debris, along with holes in the walls and floors that were reportedly large enough to see outside.
One of the children told officers the holes came from punching the walls when Melanie and Christopher became angry, according to the complaint. Two children also told officers that two cats were dead inside the home, the filing states.
Children Removed, Placed With Family
Police placed all four children with other family members, FOX19 reported. The complaint also says Middletown City Schools told police that two 10-year-old children had been coming to school dirty and saying they had no food to eat.
Officers also removed four cats, pet fish, mice, gerbils and pet tarantulas from the residence, according to the report. The court filing does not detail what happened to the animals or whether the two reportedly dead cats were among those recovered.
Animal Services in Middletown
The Butler County Sheriff's Office says its deputy dog wardens serve Middletown and coordinate animal-related services through local law enforcement. The office's information does not establish whether wardens were involved in this case or who arranged care for the animals removed from the home.
Charges and What Comes Next
Both parents remain in custody at the Butler County Jail and were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, FOX19 reported.
The Ohio Revised Code includes provisions governing child endangerment and cruelty to companion animals. The child-endangerment statute and companion-animal cruelty statute are relevant to the charges; the information cited here does not establish the degree of each count.
The case echoes a separate one unfolding elsewhere in Ohio, where authorities in Licking County arrested two people after finding nine children and three adults living in what they described as bug-infested conditions, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
