The owners of a Missouri Valley business were arrested Sunday on charges of child and animal abuse.
Amanda and David Reynolds, both 42, of Plattsmouth, Neb., own Pit Stop Nutrition in Missouri Valley, which opened this past spring. The couple was arrested on bench warrants and are both scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Cass County Court Oct. 15.
They were released from custody on Tuesday, according to the Cass County Sheriff's inmate roster, and face multiple charges of intentional commitment of child abuse with no injury, a Class IIIA felony, and abandonment or cruel negligence of an animal resulting in injury or death, a Class IV felony.
According to an affidavit, a member of the Plattsmouth Police Department was informed of alleged conditions at the Reynolds' residence in Plattsmouth on July 26. An HHS intake advised that the house conditions were unlivable due to feces from several animals living inside the house and that one of the children would eat in the bathroom as it was the only clean area in the house. The intake also alleged that David would sleep in his car to avoid the conditions inside the house, the affidavit states.
After arriving at the residence, the officer found David sleeping in his car. When asked why he was sleeping in his car, David said he was “waiting,” according to the affidavit. After identifying the residence as his home, David was asked if he knew where the children were, to which he responded that he wasn't sure but believed they were in the house. The officer gave David the reason for the visit, the affidavit states, and asked where the children's mother, Amanda, was, to which David responded that she was at work.
After opening the door to the residence, the officer immediately smelled feces and urine, the affidavit states. Upon stepping inside, the officer allegedly noticed smeared animal feces across the floor and large amounts of clothing and trash spread across the floor, with many of the items appearing to be urinated on or having feces on them. The officer also noticed multiple dogs and cats in the residence and alleged that the living area was “completely unusable and unsafe for a person to be in.”
The affidavit states that the dining area was also littered with trash and fly papers and that the hallway to the children's rooms were cluttered and covered in feces. After arriving at one of the children's rooms, the officer asked if he could look inside. Upon entering, the child's bed allegedly only had a small sleeping area on the mattress, with the rest of the mattress covered in trash that nearly reached the ceiling. The affidavit also states that there were flypaper traps extending from the ceiling, with each one covered with dead insects.
A rabbit hutch containing two rabbits was also allegedly in the room, with the bottom of the hutch full of feces and urine to the point of overflowing. The officer then asked that all children be removed from the residence, the affidavit states. The children themselves were not clean, and one of the children allegedly had holes in their shirt.
After a community service officer arrived due to the Plattsmouth police officer requesting assistance, the officers continued their inspection after all children were removed from the residence. Another of the children's rooms allegedly had similar conditions as the first, as well as a large hole in the drywall exposing the studs and insulation. The last remaining bedroom of one of the children allegedly contained a litter box for cats, as well as holes in the drywall and urine-stained carpet.
The affidavit also states that the stairs to the basement at the end of the hall had urine-stained carpet. At this time, the officer began walking down the stairs and allegedly noticed the effects of ammonia in the air, as the intense smell and effect caused his eyes to burn. Two dogs were allegedly locked in a kennel in the basement, and a large pile of feces had been scooped against the wall.
David was advised by the community service officer that he would need to provide fresh air for the dogs by opening a door or window in the basement, to which David allegedly responded by asking if one of the children could go in and do it “due to his current condition.”
The following day, July 27, the affidavit states that the officer returned to the residence to perform an inspection. Much of the living and dining area had been cleaned, and after going down the hall the officer allegedly saw Amanda cleaning the rabbit hutch in one of the children's rooms. The children's rooms were still not cleaned, the affidavit states, and Amanda allegedly asked if the children could help with the cleaning, to which the officer advised her that the house's state was due to the parents' neglect and the children were not to assist with the cleaning.
On July 28, another inspection focusing on the basement was performed by the officer. The affidavit states that the floor had been mopped, but there were allegedly puddles of water and feces remaining on the floor. The officer began to inspect other rooms in the basement and found piles of clothes on the floor that had been walked on and packed down. After opening the last door in the hall, the officer allegedly found a room that had been made into a rabbit pen, with bedding and wire cages set up.
Four deceased rabbits were then found around the room, the affidavit states, and there were food dishes and water bowls that appeared empty. The room was also allegedly covered in feces. The officer then went back upstairs and advised the parents of what had been found, to which they both allegedly responded that they did not know the rabbits were in the room.
A report from WOWT-Omaha states that Amanda Reynolds is an employee of Millard Public Schools and has been placed on administrative leave.
