SHARON A Sharon couple is facing charges after police say they locked an autistic child in a room with feces.

According to a criminal complaint, police were called to an apartment on the 300 Block of East Connelly Boulevard on Friday, June 27 after receiving multiple calls about a five-year-old child locked in a bedroom.

Police say the child was discovered by a maintenance worker, who was working to repair another room in the house. According to the report, the child is autistic and non-verbal, and also has a condition known as "Pica," where a person compulsively swallows non-food items.

The complaint alleges that feces was smeared on the wall and windows of the room, the drywall had been torn down to the studs and that the floor was covered in trash.

Caseworkers with Mercer County Children and Youth Services (CYS) spoke with the child's parents, identified as 37-year-old William Samuels and 35-year-old Brittany Tarr, about the case.

Police said the caseworkers reported that both parents appeared to be tired. Samuels allegedly admitted to locking the child in the room, telling caseworkers that he couldn't get any sleep and didn't know what else to do. 

Police say Tarr echoed this sentiment, allegedly asking caseworkers "How else are they going to sleep?"

The complaint further states that Samuels told caseworkers that when the child is locked in the room, he takes off his diaper and wipes his feces on the walls.

Police say this is not the first neglect complaint they've received involving the child, noting a previous call from April where the child allegedly wandered away from the apartment and was found playing in a creek wearing only a shirt and had feces caked onto his buttocks.

According to court records, both Samuels and Tarr have been hit with one third-degree felony endangerment charge for each complaint. They are scheduled to appear in court August 1 in connection with the April incident. No court date has been scheduled yet in connection with the more recent charges.

According to Melissa Hollen, coordinator of early intervention at the Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission, there are free services available for children with developmental disabilities and their families across Pennsylvania. Those services can include occupational, physical and speech therapy, and they are available as early as birth.

"The earlier we begin and the more parents can utilize those strategies, the better outcome we have — with the children, but with the families getting those supports also," Hollen told 21 News. 

"Call and get support from your family, friends, the community to get out of a one-time situation, and then get the supports and services that can be ongoing," she added. 

Parents or guardians interested in learning more about early intervention services can find information at the behavioral health commission's website, or by calling its central intake unit at 724-662-2230.