Woman Sentenced In 'Putrid' House Child Neglect Case

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Maplewood woman has been sentenced to two years of supervised probation for the child neglect of her 22-month-old child inside her "putrid" home, according to Ramsey County.

Rebecca Lee Koecher, 23, and 26-year-old Clayton Steven Johnson were arrested and charged after police found them drunk inside a Maplewood residence that smelled so bad that neighbors had thought someone had died inside it.

A Maplewood health officer was called to examine the state of their residence, and called it uninhabitable.

Rotten food and mold were evident in the kitchen, and officers said the sink smelled like "a dead rodent."

The bathroom toilet was plugged up with human waste, and used tampons were strewn on the floor. Dirty diapers were also found throughout the residence.

The terms of Koecher's probation include following all instructions of probation, no alcohol or controlled substance use, no non-prescription drugs, random testing, aftercare, heart house and 12 step meeting twice weekly, cognitive skill training, mental health counseling and recommendations and remain law-abiding.