CHARLEROI, Pa. — A defense attorney argued in court Thursday that two parents charged with child endangerment in Charleroi were not neglecting their children but struggling as working immigrants living in poor housing conditions.
Police arrested 40-year-old Jackson Alexis and 27-year-old Roldy Noel after officers responded to their apartment in February. Alexis’ 5-year-old daughter had called 911, telling dispatchers she believed her father was dead.
When officers arrived, they found Alexis lying on the bedroom floor with a baby nearby. Investigators later determined Alexis was suffering a medical emergency.
Police said conditions inside the family’s apartment raised concerns about the children’s safety. According to testimony in court Thursday, officers found the young girl using a bucket as a toilet, no running water in the home and a shower filled with brown water.
Alexis, Noel and two other parents who were also living in the same building appeared before a judge Thursday.
During questioning in court, a defense attorney asked the responding officer whether he had contacted the landlord or determined who was responsible for the lack of water service in the apartment. The officer testified that he had not.
However, 11 Investigates found the property owner — who lives in Canada — was cited by Charleroi code enforcement Thursday for deplorable conditions and lack of water service at the property. Officials issued a $1,000 fine.
Noel’s attorney also argued she was working a double shift at Walmart the day police responded to the apartment.
An attorney for Alexis sharply criticized the Washington County criminal justice system, arguing the parents are being punished for poverty.
“The Commonwealth chooses to see this as an abusive or neglectful situation. But what we have here are two immigrants who are working poor without many options. I see two parents trying to do what’s best for their kids. They don’t have white picket fences in the Haitian community. These are desperate people struggling for survival, and the Commonwealth wants to punish them,” the attorney said in court.
The landlord must now appear in court or face a warrant for his arrest.
The judge held all charges for the court.
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