The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is holding two Shenandoah residents on child endangerment charges after an incident Thursday in Hamburg.
Twenty-six-year-olds Dustin Carl Lee Perry and Lindsey Barbara Marie Hamilton were arrested for child endangerment, and neglect or abandonment of a dependent person.
Authorities say the arrests came after deputies received a report of a small child, alone, near the roadway. Deputies discovered a 4-year-old, with reported developmental disabilities, covered in filth outside the residence, and another child inside the home. Both children were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
Authorities allege the parents, Perry and Hamilton, left the children in the care of relatives with the direction of keeping the 4-year-old in a makeshift cage, which was located in the residence made of a Pack-and-Play, a baby gate roof, and zip ties. Deputies allege the child was able to escape without waking the occupants.
The sheriff’s office says a second homemade cage was discovered, alleging that the child was kept in a walk-in closet in a Shenandoah residence. Authorities say multiple children were removed from the home by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
Perry and Hamilton are being held at the Fremont County Jail without bond, pending initial appearance with a magistrate. Additional charges are pending.
(By Ethan Hewett, KMA, Shenandoah)