Centralia police and Child Protective Services removed seven children from a house early Sunday morning — an environment they described as being in a “deplorable, filthy” condition.
The house at 502 W. Cherry St. in Centralia had been littered with rotting garbage, broken glass from a table and numerous other safety and health hazards to children, according to Sgt. Chris Fitzgerald of the Centralia Police Department.
Police were alerted to the situation after the children’s mother, Kristy Price, 30, claimed she had been beaten and robbed of her purse and other belongings after spending Saturday evening at a bar on Tower Avenue. Price said she was knocked unconscious around 2 a.m. near Fuller’s Market Basket, and upon coming to around 7 a.m., she subsequently called 911 from a pay phone to report the alleged robbery. Price claimed a babysitter had been taking care of her children, ages ranging from 10 months to 12 years.
Centralia police, however, said that Price was severely intoxicated and would not provide any details of the alleged beating and robbery, nor would she give the babysitter’s name upon being asked. They said there were no signs of a visible struggle, and that Price had looked to be in good condition — raising suspicion of the veracity of Price’s story.
“We decided at that point to go to the house and check on the children,” said Fitzgerald. “She couldn’t provide a name of the babysitter, so that was a major red flag.”
Police released Price and subsequently went to check on her home. Upon arriving, Fitzgerald and two officers found the children sleeping in various locations around the house among what they describe as “deplorable conditions.”
Fitzgerald showed photos of toys and dirty clothes strewn about the living room, and mold and expired food filling the kitchen sink and refrigerator. A glass table in the kitchen had been broken, leaving shards of glass littered about the floor.
“There was dried, gross food all over the living room and kitchen,” said Fitzgerald. “The floor was so filthy you could scrape off the dirt with a putty knife.”
The woman Price called the babysitter turned out to be Shila Brennan, 20, Centralia — whom police describe as a transient and frequent drug user. Fitzgerald said Brennan could only name two of the children upon being asked who they were.
Price returned home around 45 minutes after police first went to check on the seven children, according to police. Child Protective Services had sent a worker to remove the seven children, and Price began protesting despite repeated answers by police as to the condition of her house and the hazards involved. Price refused to sign the paperwork provided by CPS and became emotional and distraught after the children were removed, according to police.
Meanwhile, Price told The Chronicle late Monday afternoon that CPS was unjustified in removing her children from the house. She plans to show up at Tuesday evening’s Centralia City Council meeting and plead her case in front of councilors and the public.
“I’ll do what I have to do to get my kids back,” said Price. “I could have cleaned that place up in 20 minutes — the police had no right to take my children.”
Fitzgerald said she has known Price and her family for years, and that this latest situation was Price “hitting rock bottom” after a long string of custody battles and issues with drug abuse.
“Kristy has had access to everything the state has to offer, and a very supportive family to boot,” said Fitzgerald. “It’s a sad situation — her sister told me that this is the sad path (Kristy) has chosen for her life.”
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Chris Brewer: (360) 807-8235
