VENANGO CO., Pa. (EYT) – Charges have been filed in Venango County Court after a two-year-old was found on a roof while her mother was allegedly passed out on methamphetamine.
According to court documents, the Franklin Police Department filed criminal charges against 25-year-old Emily Dust, of Franklin, in Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland’s office on Monday, August 29.
On Friday, August 26, 2022, around 10:31 a.m., Venango County 9-1-1 dispatched Franklin Police Officers to an apartment at 422 15th Street for the report of a toddler on the roof, according to a criminal complaint.
When officers arrived on the scene less than a minute later, they observed a small child of approximately two years old on the roof over the building’s front porch. The child was wearing nothing but a soiled and dirty diaper. The distance from the roof to the ground was estimated to be between 15 and 20 feet. Officers entered the unsecured front door after no one answered the doorbell or the officers knocking on the door, according to the complaint.
One of the officers ascended to the second floor, and the main doorway to Apartment 2 was found to be wide open. The officer loudly announced himself twice with no answer before entering the apartment. Upon entering, the officer discovered the child’s mother, Emily Dust, passed out on the bed in the bedroom she shared with her two-year-old daughter, the complaint states.
After being forcefully shaken several times, she woke up but upon being told her child was on the roof, she failed to make any effort to get out of bed. Dust displayed multiple signs of being under the influence or the after-effects of using controlled substances, according to the complaint.
The child was retrieved from the roof by the officer, and Dust remained in bed, the complaint notes.
According to the complaint, the officer found the overall condition of the apartment to be a safety hazard to the victim child. Used vape pen cartridges containing residue were strewn about the apartment, most of them within reach of the child. The floor was covered in trash and numerous choking hazards such as coins, beads, and other dangerous items.
An unidentified powder was found on the floor and other surfaces. Dust told officers it was corn starch, and it was used to treat a rash on her child, the complaint states.
In addition, rotting food and garbage were found in the kitchen which was infested with flies, the complaint notes.
While on the porch roof rescuing the child, the officer also observed a kiddie pool with toys and arm floaties set up in the center of the roof. A folding camp chair and interlocking floor padding was observed on the roof, as well. The observations gave the officer the impression that Emily Dust made it a routine to have her daughter on the roof to play, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, while in the apartment questioning Dust, officers observed a small ziplock baggie on a shelf in the living room area. The bag contained an unidentified white powder which was suspected to be methamphetamine. The bag and its method of packaging were consistent with narcotics. When asked about the item she claimed that she was told it was creatine. The officer also observed what appeared to be dried bud marijuana on a surface in the bedroom. The observations made during the investigation led to the issuance of a search warrant which was executed on the apartment at 12:05 p.m. The search resulted in officers seizing multiple items related to drug act violations, including a bag of suspected methamphetamine that was located in a small pink hand tote which was primarily used to store items related to the care of the victim’s child.
During Dust’s contact with CYS, she was tested for the presence of controlled substances in her system. She tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
The complaint states the fact that she tested positive for methamphetamine provides evidence that she controlled, possessed, and used the evidence seized, and it was not in the apartment without her knowledge and brought in by the victim child’s father who she claimed stayed the night there prior to the incident.
The overall condition of the apartment, along with the storing of narcotics and drug paraphernalia within easy reach of the child constitutes gross negligence and a danger to the child’s welfare, the complaint notes.
Dust was arraigned at 1:46 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30, in front of Judge Kirtland on the following charges:
– Endangering Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Felony 1
– Intentional Possession Controlled Substance By Person Not Registered, Misdemeanor
– Possession Of Marijuana, Misdemeanor
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
She is currently free on $10,000.00 unsecured bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 7 at 1:30 p.m. in Venango County Central Court.
