An Idaho couple is behind bars and four children are in state custody after police found thousands of cockroaches in their "unlivable" Nampa home, authorities said.
According to KIVI-TV, Eugene Bergener, 50, and Moranda Young, 32, were arrested Thursday after Nampa police conducted a welfare check at their house on North Bailey Avenue.
Before officers entered the house, they noticed "a very pungent" urine smell coming from the property, authorities said. Officers also said they peered through a window and saw "cockroaches crawling on the sofa," KIVI reported.
After Bergener let the officers inside, they saw "thousands" of roaches "and possibly hundreds of spiders inside the residence, feasting on the cockroaches," according to the police report.
Officers said there were "cobwebs on every corner and every wall," and roaches crawling on dirty dishes, cereal boxes and dirty laundry, KIVI reported. Dead roaches covered the floors, counters and bed, police said.
"Cockroaches were falling on our heads," one of the officers wrote.
Police said four children, ranging from 1 to 13 years old, also lived in the home and usually slept in the master bedroom with Young, KIVI reported. Young shared the bed with the younger children, but the oldest "sleeps on the floor with the cockroaches," the police report said. Bergener said he typically slept on the couch, according to the officers.
Officers also found pets inside the house, KIVI reported.
"The [urine] odor in the residence was so strong, it was burning my nose," one officer wrote.
Bergener and Young, who were taken to the Canyon County Jail, are now facing four counts each of injury of a child. Bergener also is accused of violating his probation, authorities said.
The Idaho Health and Welfare Department has temporary custody of the children, according to KIVI.
About the Author
