Mill Hall, Pa. — A man in Clinton County is accused of years of neglect of his three children, one of which was left in severe pain after he refused to take them to see a dentist, police say.
Robert Edward Winslow III, 39, of Mill Hall, is facing several felony child endangerment charges for the alleged neglect. Officer Bryan M. Burger of Mill Hall Borough Police Department was called to investigate when police received a ChildLine referral on March 11 regarding a teenage child who needed extensive dental work.
Clinton County Children and Youth Services caseworker Mary Monoski told police the teen began having pain in their teeth early in 2023, according to the affidavit filed by Burger. When the caseworker told Winslow the teen needed immediate dental care, he told her the teen "hadn't been to the dentist in several years." The teen ended up getting an infection that required antibiotics, Burger wrote.
CYS caseworkers had been working with Winslow since February 2021 when they were referred to his home to check the welfare of a child having mental health issues, according to the affidavit. The caseworkers were referred to the home more than 50 times since then, for 25 different child neglect issues, which included not having food to feed the children.
Winslow also reportedly had not taken the children to doctor or dental appointments, causing discomfort and tooth pain for one of the younger children. One of the children also had mental health issues that worsened after Winslow failed to seek treatment. The CYS caseworkers told police they had placed sanctions on Winslow for the neglect, according to the affidavit.
The child with mental health issues had run out of medication at one point, and Winslow allegedly refused to refill it. Winslow had been told several times by caseworkers to keep sharps in a lockbox due to issues with the child cutting themselves, but he did not comply and deemed it "unnecessary," according to the affidavit. Clinton County Judge Craig P. Miller issued a court order that Winslow had to lock all sharps in a lockbox, according to the affidavit.
During the investigation of CYS files, Burger found a letter written by the teen in March 2023 in which they mentioned the house was dirty and they had no food. "I have a close friend who is trying to get me into foster care, IDK what to do," the teen wrote according to the affidavit. "I don't want my dad to get into trouble and my siblings hate me." Burger found another letter in which the teen talked of suicidal ideation. Monoski told police the child has refused to stay at the home and has been staying at friends' houses.
CYS caseworkers told police the house had been in deplorable condition. Burger recalled going to the house on Jan. 26 for a welfare check after one of the children could not wake Winslow up. He noted there was trash and debris in the home, as well as drop ceiling tiles that were falling, according to the affidavit.
Winslow was charged with five felony counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one misdemeanor of corruption of minors. He remains in Clinton County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail. Winslow's preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 13 at the office of Judge Frank P. Mills.
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