Three young children in central Pennsylvania are recovering from severe malnourishment and neglect after hospital staff told police they "reeked of a strong odor similar to that of caged animals," according to a criminal complaint.
The parents of the children, who are aged 6, 5, and 4, have been charged with aggravated assault and false imprisonment. Joshua and Brandi Weyant allegedly locked the children in their rooms each night in the family's house in Halifax Township, Dauphin County, police said.
The Weyants are being held on $1 million.
A social worker with the county child services department first alerted police Dec. 16 of alleged neglect. The children told investigators initially that they were locked inside their bedrooms each night.
"The victims state that they would have to pound on the wall to get someone to take them to the bathroom and they would urinate on themselves and on the bedroom floor when no one would come," the criminal complaint filed Friday said.
A doctor who examined the children told state police that at least two of the children "were approaching a dangerous and life-threatening situation," the complaint said.
The Weyants are scheduled for a preliminary hearing Jan. 2.
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Joshua Ross Weyant is awaiting a "plea court hearing" scheduled for Jan. 4 on charges stemming from a 2013 incident in which he was initially charged with child rape, indecent assault and other charges. The rape charge was dropped, but the indecent assault and corruption of a minor charges were held for a lower court, according to a court docket.
