Sapulpa Police: Baby Found In Dog Feces

NewsOn6.com

SAPULPA, OK -- A 3-month-old infant was turned over to DHS custody after it was found in squalid conditions in a Sapulpa apartment.  The baby was found face down on the floor in trash and dog feces while 11 pit bulls ran loose in the home, according to Sapulpa Police.

"The apartment was very cluttered, a lot of dog feces with 11 dogs in the residence," said Major Jeff Gilliland of the Sapulpa Police Department.

"By taking the child out of that, it diverted an imminent harm to the child."

Sapulpa Police were initially called to the residence 1100 block of East Jackson N. in the Friday morning, August 28th on a disturbance call when two roofers were assaulted by resident, 30-year-old Earnest R. Shaw.

"He took a shotgun and started swinging it around, hitting them with it," Gilliland said.  The men got into an altercation when the roofers defended themselves, he said.

When Sapulpa Police arrived, Shaw told them that his child was inside the house unattended with some dogs.  

Officer Todd Lawrence filed an affidavit describing the apartment's condition.

"The baby was found face down on a mattress in an upstairs bedroom, dogs and dog feces all around. Due to the age of the baby, the inability of the baby to move, and the amount of dogs present, tragedy was inevitable without intervention," Lawrence said in the affidavit.

He continued, saying, "The condition of the apartment was horrendous with a putrid smell that was sickening.  The dog feces and urine along with garbage and overturned furniture littered the apartment."

The baby was taken into protective custody and given into the care of the Department of Human Services where it has been placed in foster care, according to Gilliland.

Shaw was arrested on numerous complaints including two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment. Because the shotgun was non-functioning, Galliland did not expect a charge of possession of a firearm to be pursued.

The three adult and eight pit bull puppies were taken by Sapulpa Animal Control.

A police officer who was present at the the scene said the infant is the child of a Sapulpa Middle School teacher. Gilliland said that he could neither comfirm nor deny that information.

The case is still under investigation, Gilliland said.