Couple accused of starving boy charged with housing kids in squalor
Mar. 2—A Rice Twp. couple awaiting trial on assault charges alleging they severely starved a 6-year-old boy was arrested again Tuesday over new allegations that they housed their children in a filthy home.
Zachary Michael Vincent, 30, and his wife, Natalie M. Shaffer, 26, were charged with aggravated assault last month after police said the starving child — who is Shaffer's son and Vincent's stepson — showed up at Greater Nanticoke Area Elementary Center weighing only 20 pounds.
The new complaint alleges that when Luzerne County detectives showed up at their home at 155 Pine View Dr. to arrest them Feb. 3, they found four children living in squalor, one of whom was wearing a heavy, urine-soaked diaper.
The front door was blocked by furniture inside the home as well as mattresses that were being stored on the front porch, police said.
The living room featured a single queen-sized mattress that all six occupants slept on because the bedrooms were full of broken furniture, dog feces, strewn clothing litter and electronic equipment, according to the complaint.
The hallway leading to the bedrooms was blocked by bags, boxes and loose clothing, and the only bathroom was filthy, with a "considerable amount" of cigarette ashes dusting the floor, police said.
The kitchen likewise featured tools, garbage and food that was spread around the counters, sink and floor, according to the complaint.
After the discovery, the children were taken into protective custody, police said.
Detectives charged Vincent and Shaffer with four felony counts each of child endangerment.
Magisterial District Judge Joseph J. Carmody arraigned them on the charges Tuesday morning and set bail at $50,000 for Vincent and $20,000 for Shaffer.
They were being held at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, where they have been held without bail in the aggravated assault case since their initial arrests.
Contact the writer: jhalpin@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2058
