MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — When the Martinsburg Police Department shut down its 29th drug ordinance house this week, officers also mounted a rescue of three children out of “squalid living conditions.”
Police were tipped off about drug activity at the owner-occupied rental property on West John Street by citizens and a city councilman.
Tenants Casey Silver and Tori Stotler were arrested. Charges were pending.
Police say they found drug paraphernalia including used syringes in plain view.
Three children aged 11, 6, and 2 were living in what officers described as “squalid” conditions with piles of garbage inside the home, an unusable toilet, and bed bugs.
Detective Sergeant Adam Albaugh was the lead investigator on the case and called the conditions “inhumane.”
The owner of the property, Mary Butts, lives at the property as well and had a rental agreement with the pair.
She was scheduled to appear before Municipal Judge Dale Buck August 22, 2018 to provide evidence that she has complied with the Chief Magistrate’s order to clean up the drug problem on her property and prevent it from recurring in the future.
Martinsburg Police said there have been zero return calls for service at the 28 previous homes targeted under the ordinance.
Story by Marsha Chwalik, WEPM News