WEST UNION, W.Va. (WBOY) — A town councilman in Doddridge County has been charged after deputies found a child sleeping “on the floor amongst dog feces” at a West Union home.
On Aug. 11, deputies with the Doddridge County Sheriff’s Department working with CPS responded to a residence on W.Va. Rt. 18 North in West Union to investigate a call, according to a criminal complaint.
When deputies arrived, “they found the home to be very unsanitary and filthy” and the seven children in the care of Edward Barker, 58, of West Union, “presented dirty, their hair was matted and smelled of body odor and urine,” deputies said.
While in the residence, deputies observed “dog feces all over the floors” with “some smeared into the carpets and wood flooring,” according to the complaint.
In a room identified as belonging to one of the children, deputies were told that the child “slept on the floor amongst the dog feces,” and there were “cockroaches crawling all over the floors, walls and ceilings” and “inside of the refrigerator,” deputies said.
Barker has been charged with eight counts of child neglect creating risk of injury. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $75,000 bond.
Back in July, Barker was also charged with misdemeanor domestic battery. According to the West Union town clerk, as of Aug. 15, Barker was still serving in his position as town councilman.