MUNCIE, Ind. — Five children were taken from the care of a Muncie mother after police were called to a home with “deplorable conditions” and a lack of running water.
Judy Dotson, 38, of Muncie faces five charges of neglect of dependent, each Level 6 felonies.
According to court documents, Delaware County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to a home in the 500 block of S. Whitney Road on Jan. 20 after a family member attempted to take custody of Dotson’s children due to reports of domestic violence and the children being raised in a filthy home.
Deputies reported arriving on scene and noticing a 2-year-old hanging out an open window despite it being 26 degrees at the time. The child also appeared to have not been bathed in several days, the deputy noted in his report.
According to the court documents, the home where Dotson lived with the five children had no running water and was being fed electricity by a gas generator. Police reported a toilet “filled with human feces” that hadn’t been cleaned for some time along with five-gallon buckets of water in the kitchen that was the “only source of water for the residence,” according to the deputies.
Court documents also revealed that trash was piled on the floors and “dirty dishes piled in the kitchen sinks.”
Deputies called the conditions of the home “filthy” and informed Dotson that they would be contacting the Department of Child Services due to the “deplorable conditions,” the court documents reveal.
Dotson reportedly confessed to deputies that her husband had been physically violent with her recently. Deputies noted several bruises on Dotson’s arms and face.
Court documents state that the five children were removed from the home and placed in the care of a family member.
Court records show that Dotson’s husband, Christopher Dotson, is facing felony charges in Delaware County for domestic battery and neglect of dependent. These charges stem from March 2021.
