A Sunday night complaint about a barking dog led a Hialeah Gardens police officer to discover something much more serious, according to authorities: two children living in a feces-filled and roach-infested home.
Their 30-year-old father, Eury Colon, is now facing two felony counts.
According to an arrest record, Hialeah Gardens officers were dispatched to Northwest 111th Terrace around 9:30 p.m. for a “loud barking dog.”
According to the report, the officer heard the dog and knocked on the door of the home for five minutes, hoping to speak with someone.
“I then noticed a window located to the far right on the front residence with the bedroom lights on and made several knocks,” the investigating officer said. “After a few knocks, a toddler opened the blinds.” I saw the toddler naked, as well as a room full of used Pampers (diapers) soaked in feces.”
Colon arrived shortly after and claimed that the children’s mother was asleep inside, but he entered the house “and attempted to shut the door,” according to the complaint.
“I informed Eury that for the safety of the children, he needs to keep the door open so I can have a visual of them, because of the fact that the children appeared to be alone and at this time this had become a police investigation,” said the officer.
According to police, Colon made a statement, which was redacted from the report, prompting the officer to handcuff him.
The officer then went inside to find the toddler due to “exigent circumstances,” according to authorities.
The officer discovered “the toddler with feces on his left leg as well as a room full of used Pampers full of feces” and a baby in another bedroom, according to the report.
“I then canvassed the residence and found it in a disheveled state,” the officer reported. “I discovered several opened containers of food lying around the house.” I also found feces on the floor of the house and bugs in the children’s bedroom.”
Police stated that they notified the Florida Department of Children and Families. They stated that a DCF inspector arrived shortly after and “deemed the living conditions hazardous,” prompting the agency to take the children from the residence.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics transported the children to Palmetto General Hospital for evaluation, and police arrested Colon on two child negligence counts.
Colon was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Monday afternoon, with a bond marked as “to be set” in online prison records.