Dwayne Hickman and Dorothy Hickman, parents of two children found in deplorable conditions, have been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to child neglect. The case came to light when a boy arrived at school with cockroaches in his backpack and visible bug bites. Authorities removed the children from their custody following a welfare check.
On February 10, a teacher at Doddridge County Early Learning Academy in West Union, West Virginia, contacted police about a boy with bug bites on his face, hands, and bottom. Staff discovered cockroaches in his backpack, and his sister asked a teacher to wash her very dirty clothes, prompting concerns over the children's well-being. The Doddridge County Sheriff's Office notified Child Protective Services, which visited the family home that day and found extreme deplorable living conditions, leading to the children's removal from their parents' custody. Their current custody status remains unknown. Dwayne Hickman, 37, and Dorothy Hickman, 29, were arrested on February 12 on charges of gross neglect of a child creating substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. Dorothy pleaded guilty to one count of child neglect on April 28, followed by Dwayne on May 1. The couple received identical sentences: two years of probation, followed by two years of unsupervised probation, and a six-month suspended jail term. Neither parent will serve time in jail.