A Franklin woman is facing charges in connection with an incident in which police say the woman’s two-year-old daughter was found on the roof of a porch in Franklin and living in hazardous conditions in an apartment.
Franklin police said in a criminal complaint they were called at about 10:30 a.m. Friday to a residence in the 400 block of 15th Street where the toddler, who was wearing nothing but a dirty diaper, was on the roof of the porch about 15 to 20 feet off the ground.
The child’s mother was identified as Emily Dust, 25.
The main door of Dust’s apartment was standing open so police loudly announced themselves twice and then entered the apartment, the complaint said.
Dust was found “passed out” on a bed in the bedroom she shared with her daughter and she had to be shaken forcefully several times before she woke up, the complaint said.
After being told that her child was on the roof, Dust made no effort to get out of bed and showed multiple signs of being under the influence of drugs, the complaint said.
The little girl was retrieved by a police officer from the roof while Dust remained in bed, the complaint said.
Rotting food and garbage and a fly infestation were found in the kitchen, the complaint notes.
While on the porch roof, the officer noticed a kiddie pool with toys and arm floaties set up in the middle of the roof with a folding camp chair beside it, which gave the officer “the impression that Emily Dust made it a routine to have her daughter go on the roof to play,” the complaint said.
Police found a bag of suspected methamphetamine on a shelf in the living room and what appeared to be dry bud marijuana on a surface in the bedroom, the complaint said.
A bag of meth was also found in a small tote that was primarily used to store child care items, the complaint said.
Dust was tested for the presence of controlled substances in her system and the test came back positive for meth, the complaint said.
She was charged with a felony count of endangering the welfare of children as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.
She was arraigned Tuesday, and her preliminary hearing is scheduled Sept. 7 in Venango County Central Court.
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