NORTH MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A newborn, a baby and a toddler were found home alone in Pennsylvania Wednesday.
The newborn, who is 1 day old, was in a car seat, the baby, who is 1 year old, was in a playpen and the oldest, a 22-month-old, was found in a wooden cage that was locked, state troopers in Schuylkill County told the Reading Eagle.
Police said the children's mother gave birth at the home about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Philadelphia at around 9 p.m. Tuesday. She suffered heavy bleeding and Kutz called an ambulance for her around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. She was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery, according to Robin.
Robin said medical staff asked her, "'Where's the baby?' She said, 'The baby's at home.' That put up a red flag."
Police in Pottsville, Pa. say a 22-month-old boy has been found locked inside a makeshift wooden cage while his day-old sister and 1-year-old brother were found alone in the same house.
Posted by 6abc Action News on Thursday, May 18, 2017
Kutz refused to tell police how long he'd left the children or where he went on Wednesday, Robin said.
The father said he used the cage as a makeshift crib to keep the toddler safe at night, the trooper said. There was a foam mattress and toys inside the cage.
"He says he would keep him there at night because he claimed he was crawling all over the place. He told me he's done it in the past, that it's not the first time he put him in that contraption," Robin said.
Kutz "really didn't seem very concerned" about leaving his children home alone, but the mother expressed alarm and "said this was never done on her watch," the trooper said.
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State police, along with someone from Schuylkill County Children and Youth Services, went to the home Wednesday afternoon, The Morning Call reported.
No one answered their knocks, so they entered the home and found the three children just inside the door. Police eventually arrested Cecil Kutz, 38, the Eagle reported.
Kutz was charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment.
He was taken to Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail.
The newborn was taken to a hospital for evaluation. The boys were placed in the custody of child welfare authorities.
Contributed reporting from the Associated Press
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