Henry County parents arrested on neglect charges
NEW CASTLE, Ind. — A Henry County couple face criminal charges after their six-year-old son was found unattended in the family's Knightstown home, which had no electrical service or running water.
Brandi Nicole Hall-Burton, 39, and Steve William Gossett, 47, were each charged Monday in Henry Circuit Court 2 with two counts of neglect of a dependent, one a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison and the other a Level 6 felony with a maximum 30-month sentence.
Henry County sheriff's deputies said the couple's one-year-old child was with them when they were arrested after a Friday traffic stop.
After an anonymous caller told emergency dispatchers they were concerned about the family, deputies went to their West Emerson Avenue home and found the older child, who was sleeping.
The boy told deputies he didn't know where his parents were, and had no way to contact them.
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Deputies reported encountering a "strong odor of burning kerosene" and determined the home, without electricity, was being warmed with a kerosene heater. They also found non-functioning toilets that were reportedly full of human waste.
Due to "unsanitary conditions," officials with the state Department of Child Services were called to the scene, and ended up taking custody of both children.
Gossett maintained the home's utilities had only been shut off recently, and that he had been retrieving "buckets of water from the small creek out back" for the family's use.
The Knightstown man was also charged with possession of a controlled substance, another Level 6 felony, while Halll-Burton was charged with possession of paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.
According to an affidavit, Gossett had "spice," a synthetic drug designed to mimic the effects of marijuana, in his possession.
Hall-Burton continued to be held in the Henry County jail on Tuesday under a $13,000 surety bond and a cash bond of $1,250. She has been convicted of possession of a synthetic drug (twice), maintaining a common nuisance, theft (twice) and driving while intoxicated.
Gossett also remained in jail, with a surety bond of $12,500 and a $1,100 cash bond.
His record includes convictions, since 2017, for driving while intoxicated (twice) and possession of a controlled substance.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Parents face neglect, drug-related charges in Henry County
