New Castle – Earlier this evening the post Commander at the Pendleton Post received an anonymous call from someone who said their relative had left Pennsylvania in a rented moving truck earlier today. The caller explained the relative was traveling with their seven children, and they believed that at least five children were riding in the back storage area of the truck.

Troopers began watching along I-70 for the truck and a little before 10 p.m. tonight Trooper Nick Razor saw a truck fitting the description pulling into the Flying “J” Truck stop located at the New Castle exit.  

Trooper Razor made contact with the husband and wife who had two small children in the cab of the truck with them.  Further investigation revealed an 18 year old daughter, and four underage siblings ranging in age from 9 years old to 17 years old, riding in the unheated back of the truck. In addition there were 18 cats in the back of the truck with the children.

There were sleeping bags in the back, but no heat or communication with the parents in the front.  It was 32 degrees out, and as Trooper Razor stated, “It was really cold in the back of the truck.”  The family had all their belongings in the truck, and was moving to California for a job opportunity for the father.  Razor said two of the children were riding on the top of a tall stack of boxes in the back of the truck when he raised the backed door.

Arrested was David K. Detzen, age 41, and his wife Rebecca S. Detzen, age 40, both from Fairmount City Pennsylvania.  Both were charged with four counts of Neglect of a Dependent, Class “D” Felony.  They were lodged in the Henry County jail.

The children were turned over to Child Protective Services, and Henry County Animal Control took possession of the cats. Troopers impounded the rented truck with its contents.

All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.