Police quickly grew concerned with another matter however — the state of the apartment.
According to court documents, police said the smell of feces and garbage was “overwhelming.” Officers spotted what appeared to be feces on the floor and couch cushions, as well as a garbage bag in the kitchen sink that had several inches of “brownish liquid that
smelled of rotten food.”
When police opened the refrigerator, they reportedly found cockroaches crawling inside and a lack of food fit for human consumption.
Around 20 to 30 filled garbage bags were scattered around the apartment and a bucket with what appeared to be human waste was beside the toilet, charging documents allege.
Two juvenile males also lived in the home, and one officer reportedly saw one of the boys lying on a feces-stained mattress. The officer said the boy was in a room that had feces, trash and rotten food all over the floor.
Iverson told officers the apartment had been condemned, and the family was waiting to be relocated after reaching out to apartment management for months.
When asked why there was such an excessive amount of trash, court documents show Iverson said he had been shot in the foot and had trouble walking to the dumpster. Benjamin told police she was getting ready to take the trash out when police knocked on the door.
The two children were relinquished to the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Police also found three dogs and a cat in the apartment. Animal control took them into their custody. Officers said a second cat was found after animal control left, and Benjamin requested to let the cat go outside, saying the animal would be “fine.”
fox59.com
