Callaway County couple charged with endangering the welfare of a child

A Callaway County couple has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after officers responded to a mobile home park for allegations of medical neglect.

Travis Johnston and Chandra Harvey have been charged after officers heard of a child with cystic fibrosis not getting the medical attention she needed.

According to the probable cause statement, when officers entered into the residence there was trash all over and animal feces ground into the floors. Officers said the child was not making her regular doctor appointments and not taking her proper medication.

When officers spoke with the child, they noticed she had labored breathing and struggled to get enough air to speak. The child told officers she typically takes care of herself and that she did not feel safe in her home.

The child was taken to the hospital, where doctors said her lung function had decreased by 50 percent since the last time they saw her in December 2016, officers said.

Doctors also told officers the child had lost a significant amount of weight and would have to be admitted to the hospital for awhile.

Officers said Johnston “was highly emotional during his interview and admitted to neglecting [the child’s] needs,” according to the statement.

Harvey put the blame on others for the lack of medical attention, and said she would give the child the needed medication when she was home. The statement said Harvey did not think anything was wrong with the child when she was admitted to the hospital in August.

Investigators described the house as “unsanitary,” with animal feces and bugs littering the floor. The statement said the child’s medical vest had roaches crawling inside of it and had to be thrown away.

Judge Carol England issued an arrest warrant, noting a $4,500 bond. Neither Harvey nor Johnston may contact the child victim as a condition of that bond.