A Washington woman was sentenced to supervised probation in connection with a child neglect case.
28-year-old Brittnie Morford Criswell was told by Judge Dean Sobecki that she must comply with all rules, orders and recommendations from the Department of Child Services and any orders and recommendations from the Children in Need Services also known as “CHINS” court. The sentence was part of a plea deal which the judge said he would not have accepted if not for CHINS involvement in the case.
The Washington Times Herald reports that it was about a year ago when DCS went to check on kids living on County Road 300-west. Morford-Criswell had previously been told the home was unsuitable for kids and the children shouldn’t be living there. The caseworker heard voices in the home but no one would answer the door. The Sheriff’s Department was called and they arrived and smelled pot. The deputies were let in. The newspaper says the children smelled of urine, appeared not to have been bathed in a while and their feet were purple due to being cold. The home was heated with kerosene and filled with fumes. The children were removed and injuries were later found on them.
Both Travis Criswell and Morford-Criswell, not married at the time, were charged with several felony counts of Neglect of a Dependent including counts involving injury.
Back in September Morford-Criswell pleaded guilty to one of the charges and the others were dropped with prejudice. Again, Morford-Criswell was sentenced Thursday to 3.5 years of supervised probation.
Mr. Criswell is due in court for a pre-trial conference on the charges on December 2nd.