Missouri couple arrested for locking 5 children in feces and urine-covered rooms

Missouri couple arrested for locking 5 children in feces and urine-covered rooms

2011-05-05 07:09:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

LIBERTY, MISSOURI (BNO NEWS) -- A Missouri couple was charged on Wednesday for keeping their five children locked in rooms covered in urine and feces, prosecutors said.

Paul and Bethany Jenkins, of Liberty, Missouri, were arrested and charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child, following an anonymous call from a neighbor, tipping the police after hearing Paul Jenkins threatening his children with a knife. Liberty Police quickly arrived at the couple's home at around 11 a.m. local time, KCTV reported.

After arresting and taking Paul Jenkins in a patrol vehicle, officers noticed a black coaxial cable knotted around the doorknob of a bedroom door in the basement. Upon entering the bedroom, officers discovered four children, ages 8, 4, 3, and 2, sharing the room, which was drenched in a strong odor, as the floors and walls were smeared with feces and urine.

The bedroom had two sheetless beds, as clothes and several items were scattered across the floor.

As the officers continued inspecting the house, cries were heard from another bedroom in the second floor. A 1-year-old child was then found covered in urine,in a crib, which was also covered in fresh and old urine stains.

The two oldest children told the officers their father would lock them up every night at around 8 p.m. and were not let out until the next morning.

The children's mother, Bethany Jenkins, arrived while police were still inspecting the home. She was arrested despite her claims of being wrongly arrested since she had not been there at the time of the police's arrival.

The couple is currently being held in Clay County Jail. Paul Jenkins' bond has been set at $200,000 and Bethany Jenkins' at $100,000.

Missouri's Department of Family Services took the children into protective custody, while the 1-year-old was taken to Children's Mercy Hospital to treat severe diaper rash and a rash on his body.

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