LINCOLN CITY, Ore. (KOIN) – A mother was charged with neglect, reckless endangerment and criminal mistreatment after her 7 children were found in the living room of a filthy Lincoln City apartment.
Ashley K. Kaae was arrested Sunday at her home in the 3300 block of SE Harbor Avenue, police said.
When police arrived, Kaae and her 7 kids were found inside the living room. She told officers she had smoked meth a couple days before, and court documents showed an officer described Kaae as unable to sit, focus and was “highly agitated.”
The smell of animals, garbage and old food in the apartment was “overpowering,” police said in court documents. There was debris all over the floor, overflowing garbage bags, food splattered on the walls and couch. Officers found rotting food inside the apartment’s kitchen.
“There wasn’t one section of counter that wasn’t covered in food or open food containers,” court documents state.
The bedrooms had almost no walking room because of the amount of garbage, food or clothing that was piled up.
While an officer was inside the apartment, a dog urinated and defecated inside the residence, court documents state.
“There were also hundreds of flies in the apartment covering every surface,” court documents state.
Kaae told police that the children only had one toothbrush and that they all had to share.
The children were taken into state custody.
She appeared in court Tuesday and was charged with 5 counts of 2nd-degree child neglect and 7 counts each of reckless endangering and 1st-degree criminal mistreatment.