‘Slick with cat feces…’ Second family member charged in Delaware Co. child neglect investigation

MUNCIE, Ind. — After a previous report announced the arrest of 45-year-old Brian Privett on charges of neglect of a dependent and animal cruelty, his mother also faces charges.

According to court documents from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, 68-year-old Patricia D. Privett has been charged with aiding, causing or inducing neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 Felony. Police said she was arrested on Aug. 12, and online court records indicate she was charged on Aug. 30 in Delaware County Court.

Per the docs, Brian Privett and his child, a juvenile victim, were living in a residence in the 7900 block of N Royerton Park Dr. Patricia Privett was supposed to be renting the residence.

As DCSO officers arrived, they said “…the residence was in a deplorable state that no one should inhabit.” More specifically, they referenced an odor of ammonia that could be smelled from 30 feet away outdoors, several bugs infesting garbage bags laid out across the house, multiple jugs filled with urine scattered on the floor and the waste of up to 30 cats making the floors slick.

DCSO arrested Brian Privett and cited the living conditions as uninhabitable for both him and the juvenile victim. Now, as the intended renter and grandmother of the juvenile victim, Patricia Privett was also arrested.

If convicted, she could face up to 2.5 years in prison. A mugshot has not yet been provided.

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