Share and Follow
Left to right: Mason Adkins, Sonya Adkins (Central Regional Jail/WDTV).
A couple in West Virginia has been charged with child neglect for allegedly passing out while their 3-year-old son was unknowingly on the roof of their home — “covered waist down with urine and feces” and “hunched over shivering” in a rainstorm — following an all-nighter by the boy’s parents that included smoking pot and playing video games, cops say.
Mason Adkins, 29, and Sonya Adkins, 25, were both “completely unaware of the child being on the roof” and “did not answer” when police officers questioned them about how the child made it up there, according to the criminal complaint, which was obtained by local CBS and NBC affiliates WDTV and WBOY, respectively.
Authorities received multiple reports about the Adkins boy being up on the top of their home in Glenville on April 10, and responded at around 11:45 a.m., WDTV reports. Officers said they had to unlock several doors to reach the child, including the entrance to his bedroom — which was allegedly locked from the outside.
A 1-year-old was also found inside the Adkins home, with law enforcement saying he “smelled of feces and urine” when authorities came across them. Feces was discovered “caked on the wall” throughout the residence, the complaint says.
More from Law&Crime: ‘Tragic circumstances’: Mom who starved 2-year-old son to death learns her fate after boy’s father is sentenced
A window was broken out in the 3-year-old’s bedroom, according to police, but it’s unclear if that’s how he got up on the roof. Cops said they were able to reach him by going through that same window, WBOY reports.
Sonya and Mason Adkins were both allegedly asleep when their child managed to escape his bedroom. They told police that they had not checked on the juveniles since 8 p.m. the previous evening. The couple also admitted to staying up all night playing video games and smoking pot, WDTV reports.
Both have been charged with child neglect creating risk of injury and conspiracy and are being held in the Central Regional Jail in Sutton, a town located around 65 miles northeast of Charleston. They’re reportedly being held on a $50,000 cash only bail.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
