A mother and father who forced their seven children to live in “nightmarish conditions” in a dilapidated trailer without any soap, toothpaste, cleaning supplies, or other sanitary supplies might face up to 16 years in state prison.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office released a news release on August 20th, stating that Shane Robertson, 48, and Crystal Robertson, 38, had been sentenced by a judge to eight to sixteen years in prison. They will need to go through treatment, evaluation for mental health issues, and a drug and alcohol program.
Until the children turn 18, the parents are not allowed to speak with them and can only do so with permission from a therapist authorized by the court. Additionally, the defendants are prohibited from having any pets while they are under supervision.
Prior to this, Shane and Crystal Robertson entered guilty pleas to six charges of animal mistreatment and seven felonies of child endangerment. The couple’s sentencing was handed down by Judge Charissa Liller, who referred to them as “two of the worst parents I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“It is appalling that you would live in these conditions with your seven children,” Liller said to Shane and Crystal Robertsons. You gave your pets better care than you did your kids. Although you were keeping them in cages like animals, you weren’t giving them the same care.”
The Pennridge Regional Police Department was called to an abandoned trailer in April 2023 to investigate a report of two minors stealing goods. One of the Robertsons’ children was discovered by the police barefoot, and another had “dirty and ill-fitting clothing.”
A blanket was allegedly taken out of the trailer by the two children, who informed authorities that they did this to “keep their rats warm since their parents had no money.”
The Robertsons were not at home when the police called, but they soon showed up. After searching their trailer on Roseann Lane, the district attorney’s office said that investigators found it to be in “obvious disrepair and disarray.”
According to reports, the trailer’s floor was falling apart, there were holes in the walls and doors, and dirty garments were all over it. Clothing and several of the floors were found to have animal feces on them.
It was reported that many of the victims were ill. The district attorney’s office reported that two of the kids tested positive for COVID-19, some had impaired vision, one had maggots in her hair, and all of the kids had poor oral hygiene.
Five teeth were reportedly extracted from two patients during oral surgery, and one youngster had thirteen cavities that were visible in addition to a potentially deadly infection.
The refrigerator featured a bicycle lock, according to the prosecution, and Crystal Robertson stored the key in her purse. After receiving texts, officials discovered that Crystal Robertson had purportedly stated that the kids went to the refrigerator to “steal food.” They said she referred to them as “garbage disposals.” Inside the refrigerator, police discovered inadequate food.
Authorities reportedly discovered after conducting a more thorough inquiry that the kids had no formal schooling and “lacked basic knowledge,” with some of them not even knowing their own birthdays. The victims reportedly told authorities they disliked being in public and seemed to suffer from social anxiety, according to the prosecution.
The Robertsons kept numerous animals, including two dogs, two turtles, two bunnies, snakes, toads, a lizard, and numerous rats, and their bed was untidy, according to the district attorney’s office. “The only notable food found in the trailer was for the animals,” the prosecutors stated.
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Prosecutors showed films from the lizard’s TikTok account in court; these included footage of Crystal Robertson giving the lizard salmon bits to eat, cleaning its teeth, taking it to see the Easter Bunny, and dressing it up in costumes.
According to Brittney Kern, the Deputy District Attorney, “They chose themselves, and they chose their animals.”
The children were placed under the care of Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services, and the animals were turned over to the Bucks County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Prosecutors stated that after being taken away, the kids “have shown signs of flourishing.” Kern clarified, though, that “the psychological effects will last a lifetime.”
