Bodycam video released after Dickson County deputies rescue children padlocked inside trailer

DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Dickson County deputies kicked in a trailer door to rescue four children living in what officials called dangerous, squalor-type conditions.

According to authorities, residents reported seeing the parents leave a mobile home in the Bruce Perry Trailer Park on Caroline Drive and lock their children in the home with a padlock.

When members of the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office arrived, they knocked and saw small children poke their heads through the curtains. Deputies noticed the door was locked from the outside and, fearing for the kids’ safety, kicked in the door.

On the body camera footage dated Thursday, July 18, you can hear a deputy yell, “Kiddos, sheriff’s office.”

According to law enforcement on scene, the home was filthy and filled with a rancid odor. Officials noted piles of trash and what they described as spoiled food.

Deputies said there were multiple refrigerators blocking the windows. In addition, they found a laundry basket with two baby turkeys inside.

Authorities were greeted by the teenage daughter.

“Why did they lock you in the house?” a deputy asked.

Then, the deputies went to a back bedroom, where three young children under the age of 10 were on a bed.

“Hey, how are y’all? Y’all good?” the deputy inquired.

According to a report from law enforcement, one of the children had a feeding tube dangling from his nose.

“I still want to know why they deadbolt you in the house,” the deputy said.

Authorities immediately called for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services to come to the scene.

Per the report, the parents went to get food and they deadbolted the door because it doesn’t stay shut, so padlocking it keeps the small kids from straying from the home.

During the interaction with deputies, you can see a toddler in diapers trying to escape out the open front door on the body camera footage.

“Be careful. That nail is sticking straight up in the ground. Beer cans laying everywhere,” the deputy said.

Later in investigation, the parents returned to the home. However, there was an obvious language barrier. As the deputies arrested the mother, Maria Guadalupe Tafolla-Romero, she repeatedly asked “Why?” in Spanish.

Both parents were reportedly charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect.

From the Dickson County Jail, the kids’ father, Ismael Reyes Lopez, told News 2 his side of the story. He said he came to Tennessee from Mexico in 2005, and he works construction. A translation of part of his interview is included below:

What is going on is I went to work. The main lock on the door doesn’t work, so I locked the door with a padlock so I could go to work for three or four hours. From there, I was going to pick up food for my baby. This is when the neighbors called the police saying that the children had been locked up. The only thing I did was go to work and bring food home to my children.

Because I was headed in to work. I wasn’t going to be at work all day. I was going to be gone for about seven hours.

The only thing that I ask is that I get legal counsel. Can someone come get me and my wife?

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

When asked what he would say to his children, Reyes Lopez said, in Spanish, “I love my children and I will always be with them. Whatever happens, I will always be with them….I just want to be with my children. I lost everything. I lost my car, my house, my children, all because I had to go to work.”

Both parents said they need a lawyer to help them straighten this mess out.

In the meantime, News 2 has learned the children have been placed with other family members.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.