BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

WARFIELD — A mother in Martin County was arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of minors, leading to the removal of her children from their home.

Chief Deputy Chris Kidd of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call June 11 at Dempsey Housing in Warfield. The caller stated two juveniles were locked out of their apartment and were wandering unsupervised in the complex.

Upon his arrival at the scene, Deputy Kidd spoke with multiple witnesses who recounted seeing the juveniles, aged 5 and 7, roaming as far as the office area and the turn-around zone on the opposite side of the complex. One witness discovered the children over the hill by the river.

Witnesses also reported that the children would knock on apartment doors in the early morning hours, begging for food.

The deputy’s inspection of apartment 11B, where the children lived, revealed deplorable conditions. He described the home as “cluttered and dirty,” noting rotted and moldy food on the kitchen floor, infested with maggots. Additionally, the upstairs room contained dog feces on the floor.

The mother, identified as 24-year-old Brealli Bush, allegedly admitted to being aware of her sons’ tendencies to wander. She described them as “escape artists” and acknowledged that they had been found in the locations reported by witnesses. Bush further admitted that the children often left the apartment early in the morning while she was still asleep.