Maryville, TN (WOKI) A Maryville couple is facing child abuse charges after deputies find a four-year-old child living in “squalid conditions.”
Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office say 29-year-old Allen Westmoreland and 27-year-old Sandra Gridley were arrested Tuesday evening at a home on Calderwood Highway following a tip about dogs being tied up which didn’t have access to food, water or shelter.
Deputies found three dogs that appeared emaciated chained up behind the house and a four year old boy inside the home described as being in “squalid conditions, rife with bugs and animal feces throughout the [residence].”
Additionally, BCSO says there was no electricity and minimal running water in the home.
Westmoreland and Gridley were charged with felony child abuse/neglect and are set to appear in court on August 6.
The child was placed in the custody of DCS. A total of four dogs were turned over to Blount County Animal Control; they are receiving care at the Blount County Animal Center.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
