TAUNTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Three children were removed from a squalid apartment in Taunton on Sunday night after an officer investigating “disturbing allegations of child abuse” was assaulted by a woman who refused to allow police inside, officials said.
Melissa Jean Hope, 34, was arraigned Monday in Taunton District Court on charges of assault and battery on a police officer. She was released on personal recognizance.
Officers responding to an apartment on East Water Street at the request of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families to assist with an investigation into a report of child abuse going were greeted by Hope before discovering three children living in squalor, according to the Taunton Police Department.
DCF officials had reason to believe that the children were being sexually assaulted and kept in cages, according to a police report.
Hope and her husband allegedly refused to allow the officers to enter the apartment and shouted obscenities from a window, insisting they come back with a warrant, the report indicated.
Officers forced their way inside to gain access to the children due to the “exigent circumstances,” but Hope allegedly stood in their way and said, “You ain’t (expletive) going anywhere.” As one officer tried to move past Hope, police say she grabbed their throat and neck and pushed backward “with a significant amount of force.”
Hope, screaming and yelling, was placed under arrest. The children were taken into DCF custody after officers deemed the living situation to be unsuitable.
No additional details were immediately available regarding the condition of the children.
Hope is due back in court for a hearing on Nov. 15. Additional charges could be filed.
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