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After police found a 5-year-old boy walking alone near Video World on Old Road 30 and two other children in unkempt conditions, a Warsaw man was charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent.
Warsaw police received a call at 5:45 p.m. Saturday that a young boy was walking near the intersection of Detroit and Fort Wayne streets. Police were unable to locate the child in that area, but received another call about 6:07 p.m. that the boy was near Video World.
The boy told police that he was at his father's house when it was time to go to his mother's house and his dad told him to start walking. The boy later said that he wasn't told to walk home, but his dad was sleeping and he wanted to leave, so he did.
When police contacted the boy's father, Matthew Jacob Niccum, the man was reportedly unaware that his son was not inside the home. Niccum, 26, of 907 E. Fort Wayne St., told police the boy was there just a few minutes ago, but he couldn't find him. Police then informed Niccum that the child was with them for more than an hour and was gone from the home for about two hours.
While at Niccum's residence, police found a 1-year-old girl wearing only a shirt in a bedroom with a gate across the door to keep her in the room. Police also said there were at least seven dirty diapers, along with clothing and toys, on the floor of the bedroom, and that a clump of feces was also on the floor, with some of the matter smeared on the walls of the room.
A 2-year-old boy was found in a darkened bedroom containing only a bed and a dresser and the door to the room was reportedly screwed shut. Niccum allegedly got a screwdriver from another room to open the door and told police that he screws the door shut because he can't control the child.
Police noted that the house had trash, spoiled food with mold growing on it and dirty clothes on the floor throughout, and that hazardous cleaning materials were on the floor in reach of the children.
The older child was returned to his mother and the younger children were taken into custody by the Kosciusko County Division of Family & Children.
Niccum was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail and was later released after posting a $2,000 bond.
