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Shane Robertson, 48, and Crystal Robertson, 38, of West Rockhill Township, appeared Tuesday, Aug. 20 before Common Pleas Judge Charissa J. Liller, who called them “two of the worst parents I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“It is appalling that you would live in these conditions with your seven children,” Liller said. “You treated your animals better than you treated your children. You kept them caged up like animals, but you weren’t treating them as good.”
Earlier this year, the couple pleaded guilty to seven felony counts of child endangerment and six summary counts of animal neglect.
Liller sentenced the couple to 8 to 16 years in a state correctional institution, where they are to undergo a mental health evaluation and drug and alcohol treatment. She also ordered them to have no contact with their children until they turn 18 and only with the approval of a court-appointed therapist.
Prior to sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Brittney M. Kern presented evidence, including photos and videos, that depicted the nightmarish conditions their seven children endured compared to that of their two dozen well-cared-for animals, including Crystal Robertson’s prized exotic lizard who had his own TikTok account.
The deplorable living conditions at the Green Top Mobile Home Park in West Rockhill were discovered in April 2023 when the Pennridge Regional Police Department received a report of two children taking items from an abandoned trailer.
When officers arrived, they found two of the Robertsons’ children, one barefoot and the other with dirty and ill-fitting clothing, who had entered the abandoned trailer.
The children said they entered the trailer to get a blanket to keep their rats warm since their parents had no money. The Robertsons were not home at the time, so police contacted them, and they arrived a short time later.
Officers advised the Robertsons that they were concerned about their children’s health and appearance and requested to see their living arrangements. They agreed to let them look around their trailer at 655 Roseann Lane.
Inside, police found a trailer that was in obvious disrepair and disarray. Dirty clothes cluttered the entire trailer, walls and doors had holes in them, and the floor was decaying. Animal feces was found on clothing and the floors of some rooms. Additionally, no cleaning products were found in the trailer and the bathroom had no soap, toothpaste, or any other hygienic products.
The Robertsons initially lied to police about only having three children, the DA said. The investigation found that a total of six girls and one boy, between the ages of 4 and 16, lived in the home.
Based on their appearance, all seven were transported to the hospital for evaluation. All but one of the children was determined to be clinically malnourished. Many of them were sick, including two who tested positive for Covid.
Some of the children had poor eyesight, one had maggots in her hair, and all had poor dental hygiene. Two of the children had to have oral surgery that required five of their teeth being extracted, and one of them had a dangerous abscess in his mouth with 13 visible cavities.
Police found that the refrigerator was locked with a bicycle lock, and Crystal Robertson kept the key in her purse.
In messages with her husband, Crystal Robertson complained of the children going into the fridge to “steal food” and described them as “garbage disposals” the DA said. When the fridge was opened, little food was inside.
The investigation also found that none of the children had any formal education, and all lacked basic knowledge. Some of them didn’t even know when they were born.
The Robertsons’ bedroom had a dirty bed surrounded by animal cages. The Robertsons kept several animals, including two dogs, two turtles, two rabbits, snakes, toads, and a four-foot Tegu lizard and two dozen rats. The only notable food found in the trailer was for the animals, the DA said.
In TikTok videos played in court Tuesday, Crystal Robertson was shown feeding the lizard chunks of salmon. In another video, she was brushing the lizard’s teeth. In others, the lizard was dressed in costumes and visiting the Easter Bunny.
“They chose themselves, and they chose their animals,” Kern said about the Robertsons.
The children remain in the custody of Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services and the animals were surrendered to the Bucks County SPCA.
Since being removed from the home, the children have shown signs of flourishing, Kern said. They are healthier, have made friends and have been going to school. Still, Kern told Judge Liller, “the psychological effects will last a lifetime.”
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