5 Kids, 18 Cats in Back of Moving Van; Parents Arrested for Neglect
An Indiana state trooper discovered a strange find when he pulled over a moving truck with five kids and 18 cats in the cargo hold.
The Budget moving truck was driven by a Pennsylvania couple who were headed to California.
David Detjen, the 41-year-old father of the family, and his 40-year-old wife Rebecca were arrested on Wednesday for neglecting their children.
Five children were found in the back of the vehicle with two others in the cab. The ages of Detjen's children in the back of the 24-foot moving van range from nine to 18-years-old. The two kids seated behind their parents in the cab are 14 and 15-years-old.
Two of the kids were found onto of stacked boxes in the cargo when police opened the back of the vehicle.
Police also discovered 18 cats in cages.
The couple is originally from Fairmount City, Penn. and were driving to San Bernardino, Calif. where Mr. Detjen had a prospective job.
A police tip from a relative of the family led Indiana state troopers to investigate.
According to the Daily Mail, the vehicle was pulled over at a truck stop on Interstate 70 by Sgt. John Bowling who reports that the father knew it was illegal to put his family in the back of the moving truck saying it "was kind of a stupid idea, but it was sort of a last resort."
The cargo area was not heated and the children were found bundled up to warm themselves in the near 20-degree weather outside.
"They were down on their luck for sure," Bowling told the Indianapolis Star. "They didn't have a car. This was a last-ditch effort to follow up on a possible job in San Bernardino. But it still was an unwise decision."
After the parents were arrested, the children were taken by Child Protective Services and the cats where placed with Henry County Animal Control.
