Feces on walls, trash on floor. KY child abused in ‘deplorable’ setting, sheriff says

A Kentucky couple has been arrested after law enforcement officers allegedly found a small child living in “deplorable conditions” at a home in Boone County.

The 4-year-old child was locked in a bedroom when Boone County sheriff’s deputies showed up to investigate a report of abuse and neglect, according to the Boone County sheriff’s office. Sheriff’s deputies were assisted by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

The child was locked inside the bedroom 15 hours per day, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. Deputies allegedly found human feces smeared on the walls and food and trash littered around the room. There were holes in the walls.

Troy Caseltine, 44 and Susan Caseltine, 40, were arrested Monday as a result of the alleged child abuse. The two Florence residents allegedly told investigators they would let the boy out of the room outside the 15-hour period, but they would lock him back in the room if he had an “outburst.”

“The Caseltines stated that the child remained locked in the bedroom to prevent any distractions while the other children in the home virtually attended school,” sheriff’s deputies said in a press release.

The children in the Caseltines’ home were removed and placed with a foster family, according to the sheriff’s office. The Caseltines have each been charged with one count of first-degree criminal abuse, which is a Class C felony.

The defendants’ bond was set at $500,000 cash, according to the sheriff’s office. They were taken to the Boone County Jail, according to jail records.