A Kemmerer couple living in what authorities describe as a filthy and unsanitary mobile home packed with rotting food and garbage reportedly told police they were “sick of being harassed for no reason” before their four children were removed this week.
When Kemmerer police and a case worker with the state Department of Family Services responded to a report that kids were living in unsafe conditions in the Foothills Mobile Home and RV Park, the couple blocked entry to the trailer and demanded multiple times to know who reported them.
Even standing outside on the porch, Kemmerer Police Sgt. Jake Walker reported the odor coming from Samanta Dunn-Warren and Jeremyha Warren’s home was “overwhelming.”
Instead of showing concern for the four children, three of whom appeared to be 10 or younger, the couple became agitated and angry, Walker wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed Wednesday in Lincoln County Circuit Court.
Jeremyha especially “immediately became frustrated with me and DFS being present at their home and stated they were sick of being harassed for no reason,” the affidavit says. “As soon as the door opened, the foul odor I detected while standing on the porch became overwhelming.”
As Walker and the DFS worker began entering the home, Jeremyha followed “and stated this was ‘f***ing bullshit.’ He was obviously agitated.”
When the officer told the man to stay outside out of concern that he may harm the DFS worker, “he stated he has a right to be in his own home,” the affidavit says.
“I told him that he needed to step out because … his attitude was making everyone feel uncomfortable,” Walker wrote. “He did go outside, and told me that his attitude was to me and not to them.”
What Walker and the DFS worker found inside the trailer was shocking, the affidavit says.
The Kids’ Room
They couldn’t easily enter the home, and when they did found old, rotting food and garbage all over the place, Walker wrote. That includes what they found in the kids’ room.
“The bedroom to the left appeared to be where the children stayed,” he wrote. “There is a bunk bed and a single bed in that room. The floor was completely covered in clothes, plates, bowls, food, and garbage.”
Only one of the mattresses had a sheet on it, and “the sheet was soiled and the pillow was soiled so bad that it was no longer white,” the affidavit says. “The mattresses were also … completely soiled and disgusting.”
The nightstand was “covered with old food and drippings from food,” the document continues. “On the nightstand was a crockpot that had old, rotting food in it, with drippings on the nightstand.
“The blanket was (also) matted with food drippings. I could not tell what the food was in the crockpot because it was turning black. This room had a huge number of flies buzzing around it.”
More Of The Same
The rest of the home was more of the same, Walker wrote. That includes the master bedroom, where there was so much rotting food and garbage piled up that it was difficult to get to a crib in the room.
“The amount of trash, clothes, food, food containers, drink containers, and other junk on the floor was unbelievable,” the affidavit says. “The amount of trash around the end of the bed and opposite side of the bed was so bad that I could not see the opposite side of the bed.
“The trash just made a transition from the bed, and it piled up onto and covered the dresser.”
Walker also said he observed a crib next to the side of the bed.
“I do not know if any child or adult could safely access the crib with the amount of junk and trash that was piled up in front of it,” he wrote.
In one bathroom, Walker found the toilet “surprisingly clean,” but another bathroom was missing a toilet and had a large hole over the shower area, the affidavit says. There also were unsanitary items piled up.
“I could see a large number of tissues that appeared to have dried blood and human fecal matter on them,” Walker wrote. “They started on the floor, covered a bucket and reached the height of the counter.”
The kitchen also was full of flies, he said, adding that “the foul odor was so bad that (it) appeared there was a dead animal in that area. I could not locate the source of the odor.
“Every wall was covered in filth, cobwebs were present in almost every corner and ceiling, and it appeared they had been there for years.”
All four of the couple’s children were taken into custody, and Dunn-Warren and Warren were arrested.
They had their first court appearances Wednesday and both have been charged with four counts of endangering a child, which is a misdemeanor.
If convicted, they could face up to four years in prison, fines of up to $4,000, or both.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
