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(Source: http://www.wdtn.com/dsp_story.cfm?storyid=20282)
Clark County Mother Faces Child Endangering Charges
Dated: 01/08/2006 12:02:44 AM
A Clark County mother faces four charges of child endangering.
Deputies found her three toddlers and a newborn baby outside in bitter cold conditions.
"This is the worst report I've seen in recent times," said Sgt. Timothy Pollock of the Clark County Sheriff's Office. "A couple of children had feces about their body and urine."
Deputies say the children were outside playing in the cold with no hats, gloves, or coats. A concerned neighbor in the Honey Creek Mobile Park called police. They found Rosetta Welbaum, 25, asleep on the couch.
"The conditions that were there, were horrible," Sgt. Pollock said. "The mother should be more responsible, especially when the children are not even of school age."
Welbaum just gave birth to a fourth child last week. Authorities say the newborn was in the worst shape when they arrived.
"We found the infant to be face down, red and cold, got a core temp of 95 degrees, which was technically hypothermia."
The seven-day-old and his two-year-old brother were rushed to the hospital, where they were treated and released into their father's custody.
The mother of four sits in jail, and is due in court Monday morning.
Children Services is familiar with the Pike Township home. They'd been there earlier this week. Officials called conditions there poor, but decided not to take action. Authorities are now asking them to reopen their investigation.