By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A Gold Hill couple are under investigation after Rowan County authorities said they found four children living in filthy conditions.

Chance Lee Daniels, 33, and Lisa Marie Johnson, 23, both of the 9600 block of Stokes Ferry Road, were charged with four counts of misdemeanor child abuse.

A Rowan County sheriff’s deputy went to the home at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday after a man called 911 to report that someone was standing on his front porch. The 911 operator was unable to understand what the man was saying, a report said.

When the deputy arrived, he met Daniels, who told him a man was standing on his roof trying to talk to him. The deputy asked Daniels if he was impaired, and Daniels said no.

The deputy asked to look inside the home, and Daniels gave him permission.

When the officer walked into the home, he noticed a strong odor of musk and ammonia. The house was in shambles, with piles of clothes and trash, a report said.

The deputy found Johnson in a bedroom with two children, a 2-year-old and an infant. The infant appeared to be trying to hold its own bottle to feed itself. The 2-year-old had dirty, black feet, the deputy said.

Two other children, ages 6 and 4, were lying on an infant mattress on the floor with no sheet or cover in another bedroom.

The kitchen was dirty, with dishes and trash on the counters. The refrigerator and freezer had a bad odor, and the bathtub was filled with clothes and trash, the report said. The toilet had feces and toilet paper in i, and there were two rotting fish in a tank with brown, stagnant water, the report said.

Daniels continued to talk about a person on the roof as the deputy looked through the house, the report said.

The deputy took pictures and told Johnson that he would be contacting the Rowan County Department of Social Services. She said she understood and that she had already been in court on child abuse charges.

In August, both Johnson and Daniels were charged with three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. A warrant said their home was extremely dirty, cluttered with trash, had roaches, and had no electricity or running water. A child in the home had a rash over most of his body.

Someone from the Department of Social Services went to the home and noted that it was so dirty he didn’t think anyone lived there.

The deputy later returned to the home and the couple had done some cleaning.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.