A New Hampshire father has been arrested and his wife is being sought by police after their children were found living in "deplorable" conditions earlier this year.
Manchester police said they are actively looking for 26-year-old Halie Drouin, who has an active arrest warrant for two counts of endangering the welfare of children. The charges stem from an incident in late January where Manchester police responded to Drouin's home for a domestic violence call. Drouin had already left the residence before they arrived, but they were able to make contact with her husband, 31-year-old John Smart, and their two children.
During their interactions with Smart, police said they saw that the living conditions in the apartment were "deplorable and unfit for children." There was trash all over the floor, rotting food, open alcohol containers within reach of the children and cockroaches and bugs throughout the apartment. The apartment also had no electricity and smelled strongly of cat feces and urine.
The children were taken to the hospital for evaluation and the state Department of Children, Youth and Families was contacted.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
Smart was arrested on an active warrant and charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Drouin still hasn't been located and police said they believe she is actively evading arrest.
Manchester police said they don't have a photo of Drouin, but described her as about being about 5'5" tall, with blue eyes and black hair.
Anyone with information on Drouin's whereabouts is asked to call Manchester police dispatch at 603-668-8711. Anonymous tips can also be reported to the Manchester Crimeline at 603-624-4040.
