8-Year-Old Autistic Boy Found In ‘Filthy’ Car Littered With Drug Paraphernalia, Parents Arrested

Parents of an 8-year-old autistic boy in Kentucky were arrested Tuesday after police said the child was found in a “severely filthy” car replete with drug paraphernalia.

Louisville Metro Police deputies responded to the Hazelwood Shopping Center on Taylor Boulevard, near Bicknell Avenue, on the basis of a call citing a fight between a man and a woman in the parking lot, near the Family Dollar outlet, WDRB reported.

Police found the parents, Jesse Stout (39) and Ashley Logsdon (36) inside a silver Toyota Prius. The minor was in the backseat.

Police saw a straw with drug’s residue on it fall off Logsdon’s lap while she stepped down the car on the passenger’s side. Meanwhile, Stout, who was in the driver’s seat, was attempting to hide a razor under his leg. Police said they had a failed attempt at trying to speak to Stout as he appeared high on drugs and out of consciousness. Police said the autistic boy would not speak also.

The vehicle, according to arrest report, was littered with food, garbage, rusty tools, heroin residue, and drug paraphernalia. Police called out the actions of Logsdon and Stout as “extreme danger for the child who has autism,” adding that the child was at risk of physical injury or death. Police said the child "had complete access to the heroin-riddled drug paraphernalia that was throughout the vehicle."

The child was placed in his grandmother’s custody, whilst Logsdon and Stout were charged with second-degree criminal abuse of a child, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In October, police arrested the parents in South Carolina after their 7 children were found living in squalid conditions inside their home. Police raided the place after a property management company alerted them. Two children, under the age of 6 years, were found living in the midst of animal waste, trash, and small animals in cages, in a room dead-bolted from outside. Four other children, in the meanwhile, were at school and one had an appointment with doctor.

The parents are facing five counts of unlawful conduct towards children.