Child found in 'extreme clutter,' parents charged

A couple is charged with child endangering and drug paraphernalia after South Charleston Police found a child in the middle of "extreme clutter" in a van.

The officer stopped Robert Rouser and Chelsea Boston, of Tennessee, Monday night in their minivan for making a turn without a signal and for not having a rear brake light. But the officer was "overwhelmed with an awful stench omitting from the vehicle of trash and dog urine and feces," according to the police report.

When the officer looked inside the van, he saw a nine-month-old baby sitting in the filthy van with two dogs, the report said. The child's diaper was soaked through and it appeared to have been soiled for a substantial period of time, police said. Other trash including spoiled food, dog food and clothing was around the child.

Rouser and Boston both pleaded not guilty to the charges and are currently being held on $5,000 bond each. The child was placed in the custody of children's services, police said.

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