MANCHESTER, N.H. (WHDH) - Three people were arrested and five young children were removed from a Manchester, New Hampshire apartment found in “deplorable conditions” on Friday, police said.
Officers responding to an apartment on Spruce Street to check on the conditions of several children spoke with the property manager who said he was trying to fix a leak that was coming from the second floor but the tenant refused to let him inside, according to Manchester police.
The property manager reportedly added that the apartment had cockroaches inside and out and he could hear several children inside.
From the outside, police say officers could see a swarm of bugs and flies hovering around the exterior second-floor apartment windows and could smell a distinct stench coming from the unit.
Alicia Washok, 37, opened the door but would not immediately cooperate and refused to let officers inside, police said.
While officers stood at the door, a young child covered in filth and with a bad odor came out, police added.
Officers explained that by law they needed to check the inside of the apartment for the well-being of the children.
Once inside, police say they found trash covering the floor, flies and bugs on the ceilings and walls, and what appeared to be feces near the crib and moldy food where children slept.
Officers determined that the apartment was unsafe for the five children inside, who ranged from ages two to six, according to police.
They were taken to Elliot Hospital for observation.
Washok, her husband, 44-year-old Eddie King, and Washok’s mother, 62-year-old Lori Harmon, were all arrested and charged with reckless conduct and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
Washok and Harmon were also charged with resisting arrest.
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