A mother whose children were found living in what police called deplorable conditions has been ordered to serve five days in jail and take parenting classes.
The mother, Ashley D. Smith, 18, of Rock Island entered a guilty plea before General Sessions Judge Bill Locke to the charge of misdemeanor child neglect.
Smith herself called lawmen to her Butterfly Lane home, claiming she saw something moving around in her driveway. She then called for a second time, with the dispatcher saying she heard screaming over the line on the second call.
When Sheriff’s Sgt. Billy Joe Crouch arrived, he found juveniles present at the house along with Smith’s 5-year-old son.
“Her son only had green underwear on, shoes and a blanket,” the officer reported. “He had fake blood all over his body.”
When asked where the child’s father was, the teen mother replied he was in jail on meth charges.
“The house was extremely dirty and piled up and filled with trash, with only small pathways throughout the house,” Crouch revealed. “The children were all dirty, with very little clothes on and they appeared to be very hungry. Dishes were stacked with mold growing on them and rotten food was exposed.”
Crouch said he asked the young mother if she was on drugs. She denied the allegation and consented to undergo a drug screen. She tested positive for meth and marijuana.
“DCS decided the residence was unsafe and unhealthy for the children,” the deputy said.