A West Virginia couple has been charged with child neglect for allegedly passing out while their 3-year-old son was unknowingly on the roof of their home — “covered waist down with urine and feces” and “hunched over shivering” in a rainstorm — following an all-nighter by the boy’s parents that included smoking pot and playing video games, police say.
Mason Adkins, 29, and Sonya Adkins, 25, were “completely unaware of the child being on the roof” and “did not answer” when police officers questioned them about how the child got up there, according to the criminal complaint obtained by local CBS and NBC affiliates WDTV and WBOY, respectively.
On April 10, authorities received multiple reports of the Adkins boy being on top of their Glenville home and responded at approximately 11:45 a.m., according to WDTV. Officers stated that they had to unlock several doors to reach the child, including the entrance to his bedroom, which was allegedly locked from the outside.
A 1-year-old child was also discovered inside the Adkins home, with authorities reporting that he “smelled of feces and urine” when they arrived. According to the complaint, feces was found “caked on the wall” throughout the residence.
According to police, a window was broken out in the 3-year-old’s bedroom, but it’s unclear how he ended up on the roof. Cops claimed they were able to reach him through the same window, according to WBOY.
Sonya and Mason Adkins were allegedly asleep when their child escaped his bedroom. They informed police that they had not checked on the juveniles since 8 p.m. the previous evening. According to WDTV, the couple admitted to staying up all night playing video games and smoking pot.
Both have been charged with child neglect posing a risk of injury and conspiracy and are being held at the Central Regional Jail in Sutton, a town about 65 miles northeast of Charleston. They are reportedly being held on $50,000 cash bail.
