According to the Ledger Independent, Four Fleming County adults were charged Tuesday with wanton child endangerment after two toddlers were discovered playing near a road without adult supervision.
Flemingsburg Police Chief Randy Sergent said Maj. Falon Fugett was the first to respond to a welfare check on Helena Road where he discovered two toddlers, ages 2 and 3 years old, near the road. With them were two passersby who had called police after seeing the 2-year-old almost get hit by a car, Sergent said. Also responding to the scene was Kentucky State Police Trooper Eugene Robinson.
According to a press release from KSP, Robinson and Fugett entered the home of the two toddlers to discover four adults who were "severely incapacitated due to alcohol consumption." Sergent said officers had difficulty getting an adult to come to the door because of the state of intoxication.
Once inside, Sergent said officers found animal and human waste on the floor. Also, there was no refrigerator in the house and no food except a package of cookies.
Officers discovered a third child, a 7-month-old infant, inside the house. Both toddlers and the infant were removed from the residence due to the unsanitary living conditions, according to the KSP. Robinson and Fugett assisted Fleming County Social Services with the emergency removal.
Brothers Timothy Benton, 26, and Tyler Benton, 21, and their wives, Shayla Benton, 21, and Amber Benton, 21, were arrested and charged with first-degree wanton endangerment, a felony, Sergent said. Timothy Benton, 26, was additionally charged with resisting arrest. The four adults were lodged in the Mason County Detention Center. Sergent said all four are scheduled to appear in Fleming County District Court Thursday.
