Robert Preston faces four counts of child endangerment, according to an affidavit. (Dallas County Sheriff's Department)
Four young boys were found Saturday inside a squalid Dallas apartment and their father was arrested, a report said.
Police were reportedly alerted after a neighbor said she spotted an unaccompanied 3-year-old wearing a t-shirt and one shoe in 40-degree weather.
Robert Preston, who was identified in The Dallas Morning News as the boys' father, was arrested on an unrelated active parole-violation warrant. He reportedly told police that he needed to check on the other children as he entered the squad car.
The officers searched Preston’s apartment and found three other boys: a 2-year-old, a 5-year-old, and the 3-year-old’s twin brother, the report said. The apartment “reeked of feces” and had no furniture, the paper reported, citing the affidavit.
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The officers reportedly said the kitchen sink "smelled like a dead animal." One of the boys reportedly used a crusty SunnyD bottle as a cup. The boys, who did not know their own names referred to each other as Robert, the report said. The officers found a malnourished puppy in a closet covered in feces and it appeared that the kids were unaware it was there, the report said, citing the affidavit.
The boys were put in the care of Child Protective Services and the puppy was seized by animal control, the report said. Preston was in custody at the Dallas County jail as of Thursday. His bail was set at $80,000 and he faces four counts of child endangerment.
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