Children removed from 2 Rock Hill homes with unlivable conditions

York County sheriff’s deputies helped remove children from two separate homes last weekend after investigators found the residences to be unlivable.

Incident reports describe one home as being full of bugs, while another had so many dogs and cats inside that deputies could smell animal feces from outside the home.

On Friday, a deputy met with a member of the Department of Social Services on Winter Road in Rock Hill after a 48-year-old man was reported going from door to door in the neighborhood with an 8-year-old boy asking for money and food.

After meeting with the man at his home, deputies searched it and noticed a “strong foul odor” and “numerous bugs throughout” the messy home.

The report noted insects were crawling around on the kitchen counter, the cabinets and inside the refrigerator. There was little food in the house, the toilet was not working and the unused bathtub had “old molded clothes” in it. One bedroom had spider webs hanging from the ceiling, while the other had only a mattress and box spring in it, with an addition that was missing dry wall, insulation and wiring.

The 8-year-old was removed from the home and placed in emergency protective custody.

On Saturday, a deputy responding to a domestic situation on McShae Drive in Rock Hill noticed a “strong odor of animal feces” coming from a neighboring house. The deputy noticed multiple dogs and cats in the windows and a 15-year-old girl home alone.

The girl let the officer into the home, and he noted multiple animal cages in the living room, some for the dogs and cats, while others held “snakes, birds and a rabbit,” according to the police report. The home smelled of feces and ammonia, and the home had animal droppings on the floor.

When asked about food, the girl showed deputies dry goods kept in the dishwasher, while dirty dishes were piled in the oven. She also said the bedroom was moldy from a water leak, so she slept on a chair in the living room with exposed metal, while a 51-year-old woman at the house slept on the couch. Another bedroom in the house was described as a “junk” room and officers were unable to open the door.

DSS was called to the scene, and the child was taken to stay in a family member’s home in Sharon.

This story was originally published August 26, 2015 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Children removed from 2 Rock Hill homes with unlivable conditions."