CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield couple has been accused of being intoxicated with three, young children in a filthy home.
Timothy Michael Howe, 26, and Brooke Rochelle Howe, 22, have been charged by Officer Shawn Fye of the Clearfield Borough police with three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of children.
On Wednesday both Timothy and Brooke Howe had their preliminary hearings continued until Jan. 3 during centralized court at the jail.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Dec. 2, police were responding to a vehicle lockout in East End. When police turned down Duke Street, Fye observed a rear porch light flashing and a male known as Timothy Howe.
Timothy Howe exited the residence and approached Fye and Officer Alex Burkett. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, talking rapidly and wasn’t making any sense.
The officers exited the patrol unit to speak with Timothy Howe, who allegedly appeared to be under the influence.
Timothy Howe told police there were chemicals on the walls inside the residence. He was detained and police contacted the county’s Probation Department. Inside the residence, Fye spoke with Brooke Howe; she was with three, young children.
The children were all in the kitchen area with blankets and clothing on the floor. There was also glass from a broken “light globe,” police said.
The first child was sleeping on the floor with a butcher knife approximately three feet away. The second child neither had pants nor a diaper on and the third child didn’t have pants on.
Brooke Howe asked police to take them home. When asked where she lived at, she provided police with the Daisy Street address that they were currently at.
When asked by police where she was at, she said the garage. She was unable to recognize the kitchen they were in.
Police said that Brooke Howe was jittery, speaking rapidly and also talking about chemicals on the walls. She had dilated eyes and allegedly appeared to be under the influence.
Brooke Howe pointed to the walls and floor where she said the chemicals were at. Police said it appeared to be Mountain Dew that had been spilled; the floor was sticky and there was a can in the area.
Police contacted the county’s Children & Youth Services Department. Brooke Howe was advised Timothy Howe was going to jail and she needed to find someone to care for the children, but she was unable to find her phone.
Authorities were able to find Timothy Howe’s phone, but Brooke Howe couldn’t operate it properly. She also gave Fye a phone number that wasn’t in service. Brooke Howe had to be advised of things repeatedly, as she was having issues with remembering them.
Police went to Brooke Howe’s mother’s residence and made contact with a male who took custody of the children.
Brooke and Timothy Howe both appeared to be under the influence to the degree that they were unable to care for three children – two, 3-year-olds and a 2-year-old, police said.
