Authorities: Man Arrested After Toddlers Found Severely Malnourished

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office says a 32-year-old man is in jail after his two toddlers were discovered suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration.

On March 12 at 12:20 p.m., the sheriff's office received a call from a local hospital that reported two children – ages 2 and 3 –- were brought in after their mother found them weak and thin.

The mother had been outside the state for the previous two months and authorities say the children were allegedly in the care of their father, identified as Michael Gunderson, of Princeton.

Sherburne County Sheriff Joel Brott says deputies then responded to the home located on the 31600 block of 123rd Street Northwest in Baldwin Township and conducted a search.

There, investigators found nearly one pound of marijuana along with other drug-related evidence. It was also reported that the condition of the home was "extremely filthy and littered with garbage and dog feces throughout the household."

Gunderson is now being held at the Sherburne County Jail for possible charges of child endangerment, child neglect and three separate charged of fifth-degree controlled substance.

Both children remain hospitalized as of Monday.