UPDATE: Erwin couple pleads guilty to two counts of child neglect
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UPDATE: Erwin Couple Charged With Five Counts...
The Unicoi County Sheriff's Department charged an Erwin couple with five counts of child neglect.
Unicoi County Sheriff’s Dept.
Angie Walker Charged With Five Counts Of Child Neglect
UPDATE: Angie and Kevin Walker recently pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of child neglect in Unicoi County General Sessions Court. In return for their plea, prosecutors dismissed three of the felony child neglect charges against each of them. A judge fined them each $50 plus court costs. Both will remain under supervised probation for a year.
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UPDATE: Kevin Walker turned himself in to the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Office. Kevin and Angie Walker appeared before a judge for arraignment in a Unicoi County Courtroom this morning. The judge set bond at $25,000 each and ordered the couple to have no contact with their children until he says it is alright for them to do so.
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Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department charged an Erwin couple with five counts of child neglect that Chief Mike Hensley described as one of the worst he had seen in 25 years of law enforcement.
Following up on a tip took deputies to 1210 West Park Street in Erwin. They found a mobile home infested by roaches and five children with heads shaved and covered by lice sores. They also found flies buzzing around a sink filled with dirty dishes.
The childrens’ mother, Angie Walker, faces five counts of child neglect. She is two months pregnant and had to be treated for lice infestation before being locked up in the Unicoi County Jail.
Her husband, Kevin, has been charged and is expected to turn himself in today. The children were turned over to their grandparents.
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Reader Reactions
I think the church needs to get involved and stop leaving sad situations like this to the government anyhow. First of all this family needs to be pryed for by everyone. Second they need to know they are loved no matter what. Third they need to know that just because they have made some mistakes they are God’s children and that the church is there to help them however they can. If they are shown the love of Jesus Christ then maybe He can change them. The government will NEVER be able to change people.
I have donated boxes and boxes of clothes and toys to this family as have many others (along with sanitary items, diapers…) since the story broke. I do not know them, and actually heard about them through a neighbor of mine.This mom has not been taken care of any more than the children. The husband needs prayer more than any of them. He needs to know that he can be forgiven for his neglect of his family. The Bible gives the man this position and he has neglected it. Many people are blaming the mother or social services.Blame has never done any good. Love and prayer will do more good than anything. My prayers are certainly that this family is shown the love God has for them even in this circumstance.
There is no doubt some mental disease or issue going on here, so that will be a “line of defense”. But, knowing our judicial system, they will end up gettin free prscription coverage for PROZAC, and other anti-anxiety meds and will be forgiven of this and be right back at it. “The BEAT goes on”.
SPRINGTIME you are exactly right. I have witnessed working people, who actually NEED assistance, get turned down because they make $50 too much, but they are WORKING TO PAY BILLS. However, I also witness people like this…5 kids, no job, yet all the assistance in the world. So the government is telling us to STOP WORKING, SPIT OUT FIVE KIDS and then they can help. This kind of thing disgusts me, I only have one child and MAKE SURE proper precautions are taken to not have a second one which I cannont afford right now. I know that the health department can provide Birth Control, while she was getting her food stamps sorted why didn’t she get birth control? The Gov’t. should limit ALL the help, they should have certain agreements, compromises rather…saying we give you this much foodstamps, but you have to work at least this many hours. If not work for pay, community service…MAKE THEM WORK FOR SOMETHING! It seems like the government IS encouraging this, this is how they make their revenue…imagine the court fines, probation fines and everything else these people will have to pay. The government will make something off this. SO who is really losing…the taxpayers (whose money is used for the foodstamps/assistance) and ultimately the children.
everyone has an opinion. i also have mine. there are some very wise folks who have commented about this situation. Why not acknowledge Social Services as a culprit - they are definitely the enabler. When someone can do what has been done within this household and be rewarded by more welfare, more foodstamps, more Section 8 housing, more free school lunches, etc. Are you getting the message people? Take a closer look at your government. They encourage and discourage both at the same time. Encouraging begins with the enabling by giving and giving and giving to all who are “eligible”. It ends with discouraging to those who are “not eligible, but just need a little help”. Do you get where I’m going with this? Only the wise will figure it out.
This is a perfect example of a woman who should be required to have a tubal ligation (if the children all have the same father, ditto, as pertains to men). I know that is not an option in our country, but children are too precious to just be dropped like so many kittens to “breeders” who are too lazy to use birth control (readily available at the health dept.) or who just want a welfare check.
Yes I agree, it should NOT have taken children services 3 times to make this happen. From what I understand, they give you a 24hour notice before they come to check the home of the children. Also, the parent who has a otherwise dirty home can at least take out the trash or wash dishes. This was probably done the first couple times. Now, hopefully children services got wise and checked on them w/out notice. I think all “welfare” checks should be a suprise, especially when it comes to children. You think bad parents are going to admit they are doing wrong? You think they want to get caught? Sad sad situation, and it’s a good thing it’s finally taken care of. My only suggeston on the treatment of the sperm donor and baby mill- they should have taken them out back and given them a good “lesson” about what not to do to kids.
Yeah living in that old house with floor boards so wide you could shot a sling shot thru them was tough in the winter.
We ate beans and cornbread 6 days a week. In fact I just ran into the guy, our babt sitter, who accidently set our first home on fire. He still remember dragging me and my sister out when the flames from the old oil stove took off thru the roof.
My dad had bulit it his self and the wood was still green from the saw mill.
Don’t feel sorry for me that experience showed me a lot about the world. I did not grow up with blinders about people and community. I saw how their true human nature and I am preparing my kids for them too.
dadw5boys….I’m sorry that you’ve had such a hard life, but I’ll bet that your parents didn’t make you live in piles of trash with bugs crawling all over you.
Unicoi had no where to move them too most likely.
Years ago my father rented an old 3 story home to a man with 10 kids. The man quit paying rent and the Judge would not let me dad evict them either because the county had no where to put them.
My dad had to sell the house to a wealthy man who could afford lawyers to kick the man out. When the legal fee got high enough the county moved them.
Well said Next….I can’t believe that it took Social Services 3 visits to finally do something about it.
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