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Cruel Bucks Parents Accused Of Padlocking Fridge Facing New Troubling Charges: Court Docs

A Pennsylvania couple accused of padlocking their fridge and raising seven children among rats are facing additional charges, according to court records. 

Shane Robertson and Crystal Robertson

Shane Robertson and Crystal Robertson

Photo Credit: Bucks County District Attorney's Office

Shane and Crystal Robertson, of West Rockhill Township, were previously charged with seven felony counts of endangering the welfare of a child in May, Daily Voice reported

Each is now accused of simple assault and conspiracy, and Shane Robertson faces an additional charge of strangulation, legal filings show. 

Authorities first visited the family's home after three of their children were seen entering an abandoned trailer, police have said. There, investigators said they found "deplorable living conditions" and a lock on the refrigerator door.

During a second visit, another four kids were found "hidden" in a back bedroom, according to officers. 

Conditions in the home were deemed "unsanitary and essentially unsafe," and all seven children were placed in protective custody and screened at an area hospital, officials said previously. 

Social workers found that the children "lacked basic knowledge," including their dates of birth, and none of them had ever attended school. All of the children "exhibited social anxiety" and said they were uncomfortable in public, police added.

Medically, they were "clinically underweight and malnourished" and had poor hygiene, police continued. Two needed their heads shaved due to hair matting while another needed "extensive dental treatment."

Both parents were arraigned on the new charges Monday, Sept. 25, and were unable to post bail, according to court records. 

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