An East Ridge woman was arrested and charged with four counts of child neglect Thursday.
Kimberly McClendon, 26, was arrested after Child Protective Services caseworker Tabitha Willingham notified police after an environmental neglect investigation at 4002 Bennett Rd. Police responders found four children, ages 1, 3, 4 and 9 years old, barefoot and dirty playing in a yard covered in trash and sharp cans.
Kimberly McClendon, 26, was arrested Thursday on four counts of child neglect. Police entered the house and found roaches, ants and other unidentified insects crawling on the floor, walls and through the children’s toys. Police ascertained from McLendon, the children’s mother, that the three older children slept in the living room, which contained a couch but no bedding. Police also observed that there was very little ventilation in the house, particularly in the area where the children slept, with only a ceiling fan and a fan propping open a window, despite it being 91 degrees outside that day.
Police observed multiple prick marks on McClendon’s arm, and she advised them that she makes daily trips to a methadone clinic. McClendon consented to a drug test at the scene at the request of CPS, and she tested positive for methamphetamine, methadone, amphetamine and benzodiazepines. Police implemented an immediate protection agreement prohibiting McClendon from being around her children until further notice. The children were placed in the custody of their father, though they were forced to leave the residence due to the conditions.
Codes enforcement was also on the scene and advised police that the conditions in the house were uninhabitable and that the house would likely be condemned the next day.