Parents Charged With Neglecting 4 Children

ROSEMOUNT, Minn. (AP) - The parents of four special-needs children have been charged with neglect after authorities say they found their Rosemount home fly-infested, filthy and so cluttered that it was considered a fire trap.

The two boys and two girls, ages 6 to 13, have been removed from the home once again. A child protection order says the four were briefly placed in foster care in August, but were returned when safety problems were corrected and the father, a convicted sex offender, moved out.

The protection order says two of the children have autism and have difficulty reading, one has a learning disability, and the fourth has difficulty speaking. The charging document filed in Dakota County says the children were locked in their rooms with deadbolts when they misbehaved.