CBS affiliate WHIO in Dayton reports that a local organization is accepting monetary donations to assist the children involved in the case.
Parents Charged After Boy, 7, Tries to Sell Stuffed Animal For Food
The parents of a 7-year-old southwest Ohio boy who was found trying to sell his stuffed animal for money to buy food have been arrested, according to multiple reports.
After someone reported the boy was seen alone on the streets, Franklin police officer Steve Dunham discovered the child in front of a store, CBS News reports. The boy said he had not eaten in several days.
Officer Dunham befriended the child and took him to a nearby restaurant to eat. Afterward, police went by the boy's home, where they found four older children living in filthy conditions.
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The family's home reeked of human and cat urine, was littered with trash and empty liquor bottles and was infested with bugs, according to a police report obtained by the Hamilton Journal-News.
According to that report, the child's parents, Tammy and Michael Bethel, did not even know their 7-year-old wasn't at home when police went by.
Authorities removed all five of the couple's children from the home and left them in the care of relatives, the Journal-News reports. Under a judge's order, the parents are forbidden from having any contact with their children.
The Bethels are charged with five counts of misdemeanor child endangerment, according to the newspaper. They were arraigned on Tuesday.
RELATED: Nonprofit Accepting Donations in Ohio Child Neglect Case
