| Updated: 11/12/2012 5:40 pm |
Published: 11/12/2012 11:11 am
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Neighbors are in shock after a toddler is found wandering naked in the cold.
Police found his little sister locked inside a dog cage. It happened in the 4900 block of North Frankfurt Place in North Tulsa on Sunday evening.
Three children were taken into DHS custody and are now safe.
Mathew Testerman and his relatives were at home Sunday night when they heard the piercing screams of a young child. Racing outside, they were shocked to see a small boy standing naked in the 40 degree temperatures.
“All I could hear was the baby saying, daddy let me back in. I'm cold, I'm scared. Please let me back in,” says neighbor Bodean Jacobs.
"His lips were solid purple and I could hardly see them, and he was shaking like this,” says neighbor Mathew Testerman.
Trying to keep him warm – they called 911. When officers arrived, they looked inside a window and spotted an 18-month old girl covered in feces and locked inside a dog cage.
"I didn't know that there was a baby in the cage or I would have gone into the house myself,” says Testerman.
After kicking in the door – police also found another child asleep in the bedroom next to William Lewallen. According to his arrest report, Lewallen is the children’s father and was passed out on the bed.
"You see it on the news all the time but you never think it's going to happen in your own back yard,” says Jacobs.
Lewallan told officers he had taken some pain medicine, a muscle relaxer, drank a beer and then laid down to rest.
He told police he had no idea how a child got locked outside, and how the other one got locked inside a dog cage.
Neighbors say they still have a hard time with the fact that these children endured great suffering right underneath their noses.
"I just couldn't see anyone doing that to a baby. I've heard of horror stories, but I've never seen it in real life until now,” says Testerman.
According to court records, Lewallen is being held on a $50,000 bond. Lewallen has had problems in the past with drugs. His court appearance is scheduled for November 19th.
Police say they believe the children’s mother was at work when this happened.
