LODI - A couple with clothes and trash reportedly piled nearly to the ceiling of their home were arrested Friday and their two young children were taken into protective custody, Lodi police said.
Lodi police spokesman Fernando Martinez said officers discovered the allegedly squalid conditions after responding to a 911 hang-up call from the home, in the 1400 block of Park Street, north of Kettleman Lane and west of Ham Lane. They arrested 34-year-old Rick Munn and 28-year-old Alisha Blake, who were charged with child cruelty. The couple's 2- and 4-year-old boys were taken to a children's shelter.
"The property was stacked up 7 feet high in the residence, almost to the ceiling," Martinez said. "There was dirty clothing everywhere, your boots sticking to the floor when you walked in the house. When you have 2- and 4-year-olds, they spend a lot of time on the floor."
Martinez said such cases are not unusual. Often, he said, county law enforcement and child-protective services officials will make cleaning the home a condition for parents to regain the custody of their children.
"We get a lot of these cases, though not as severe as this one," Martinez said.
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