Officers responded to a call at a residence in the 400 block of Howard Street at about 8:30 a.m. after a 28-year-old woman living there claimed her boyfriend had assaulted her with a brick, Police Chief Alan Watson said. Paramedics were dispatched as well, although the woman refused treatment. The boyfriend had already left when police arrived. The officers explained to the woman how to get an assault warrant if she chose to do so.
Watson said it became apparent the living conditions in the residence were not appropriate for the woman’s four children. Among other things, there was no heat, no running water, no refrigerator and no washer and dryer. There was no food in the house, which was also extremely dirty, Watson said.
There was a hot water heater sitting in the living room at the residence, Watson said, but it was not attached to anything.
The children removed from the home included a 12-year-old boy, an 11-year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy.
The investigation is now officially in the hands of DHR. No arrests had been made in the case as of Monday afternoon.
Both the woman and her boyfriend are unemployed, according to Watson.
DHR does not comment on pending investigations.
