A homeless New Jersey family was found living in a walk-in closet-sized storage facility locker. Authorities and witness accounts report that the family had been residing there for as many as five months. The storage unit that the family was living in was a 5-by-10 unit that rents between $55 and $67 a month, according to the storage facility’s website. Another renter of Extra Storage Space’s units stated that he suspected the family had been living in the storage facility for at least five months and that he had seen an adult bring a boy into the facility and not leave.
A Trenton police officer discovered the family after he arrested the mother for slashing her boyfriend’s tires. The woman has been booked on two counts of second-degree child endangerment and is being held on a $75,000 bond. The two children are in temporary child custody of the state.
The officer asked the woman whether or not she had any dependents to which she reportedly mentioned something about two children waiting at a bus stop near the storage facility. The officer reports that the two boys, ages 5 and 10, were dirty and hungry, but otherwise unharmed and healthy.
People involved in divorce cases or child custody cases in which they are trying to regain custody of their children from the state might want to consider retaining the services of a lawyer who can help them negotiate their cases with the court. In order for people to be awarded custody of their children, they must be able to prove that doing so would be in the best interest of the child. Some of the conditions that can be considered by the court are whether the person appealing for custody is employed and is able to offer the children a stable home environment.
Source FoxNews.com, “New Jersey family allegedly lived in closet-sized storage facility for up to five months,” Apr. 20, 2013