Pawtucket mom facing neglect charges after 4 children found in “deplorable conditions”
By: Amanda Pitts
alpitts@abc6.com
@AmandaPittsTV
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — A Pawtucket mother is facing several child neglect charges after police found her children living alone in deplorable conditions.
Police found that 37-year-old Katrina Niles’ four children had been living alone in an apartment on Weeden Street for days with no food or electricity.
According to a police report, Pawtucket Police responded to Niles’ third-floor apartment late last month after calls of a disturbance. When they arrived, they found a male walking down the street, crying, and bleeding from his lip.
He told police he got into a fight with his older brother when he knocked over the last box of rice. He added that he hadn’t seen his mother in days, and he and his siblings had no food or electricity.
Police say the apartment was pitch black, covered with trash, and smelt of rotten food. An officer said the refrigerator contained food that had been rotten for weeks. Police added that the temperature was above 90 degrees.
When officers contacted Niles, she said “I’m not fit to care for those kids. Call DCYF.”
A warrant was issued for Niles’ arrest and she was taken into custody on Monday. In court Tuesday, a judge set her bail at $4,000 and ordered her not to contact her children.
DCYF declined to share where the children are currently living. They did say they’re familiar with the family, and DCYF has helped them get connected to services in the past.
Niles is due back in court in January.
(c) WLNE-TV 2018
