Two people in Paw Paw have been charged with felony child neglect after police discovered extremely unsanitary conditions in an apartment where children resided.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Morgan County Magistrate Court, West Virginia State Police responded to a 911 call on Monday, June 3 for a welfare check on two children at an apartment on Doctor Randolph Spencer Lane in Paw Paw.
According to a complaint filed by Trooper D.E. Styles, the 911 caller said they found a lost dog and were told it belonged to people in the apartment.
Video footage provided by the caller showed cockroaches pouring out of the “foul-smelling” apartment when the door was opened.
Two other individuals stepped forward to say they had notified CPS of similar experiences on previous occasions, according to the criminal complaint.
Police made contact with the apartment’s residents, identified by their Maryland driver’s licenses as
Jonathan A. Ahern, 42, and Danielle N. Ahern, 37. Police were allegedly refused entry into the apartment.
While two Morgan County sheriff’s deputies secured the area, Trooper Styles obtained a search warrant, and notified CPS.
During a walk-through, police observed piles of human feces, moldy food, insect infestations, and floor-to-ceiling clutter throughout the residence. One bare mattress was in the children’s bedroom, surrounded by human filth, according to the criminal complaint.
Ahern and Ahern were both arrested and charged with felony child neglect resulting in injury. They remain incarcerated at Eastern Regional Jail awaiting hearings.