Kimberly McClendon, 26, was arrested Thursday on four counts of child neglect.An East Ridge woman was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of child neglect.
East Ridge Police Department spokesman Robert Wade said Child Protective Services caseworker Tabitha Willingham notified police following an environmental neglect investigation at 4002 Bennett Road.
He said Kimberly McClendon, 26, was arrested after police found her four children, ages 1, 3, 4 and 9 years old, barefoot and dirty, playing in a yard covered in trash and sharp cans.
In the house, police found roaches, ants and other unidentified insects crawling on the floor, the walls and the children's toys. McClendon told officers 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: On a 91-degree day there were only a ceiling fan and a fan propping open a window.
Officers said they saw 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 and tested positive for methamphetamine, methadone, amphetamine and benzodiazepines.
The children were handed over to their father and McClendon was served with a protection agreement prohibiting her from being around her children until further notice.
Codes enforcement inspectors told police the house was uninhabitable and would likely be condemned.
McClendon was arrested and transported to East Ridge police headquarters, and then Hamilton County Jail. She is being held on a bond of $27,500 and is scheduled to appear in East Ridge City Court on June 23.