Mom guilty of child endangerment for squalor after shooting

Associated Press

MEADVILLE, Pa.

A Pennsylvania woman has pleaded guilty to child endangerment for letting her kids live in deplorable conditions, which police discovered after her 4-year-old son accidentally shot his 2-year-old brother while the woman napped.

Tiffany Whitman, 24, pleaded guilty Thursday in Crawford County to a felony count of endangering the welfare of children, the Meadville Tribune reported.

Her husband, Mark Whitman, pleaded guilty in December to the same charge because of the Wayne Township home’s condition, plus a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment for leaving the gun accessible to young children.

“I let my depression get the best of me enough not to let me keep my house clean for my babies,” said Whitman, who tearfully told the judge she’s been battling mental health issues. “Yes, I’m guilty.”

Tiffany Whitman was sleeping when her son found a loaded .380-caliber Ruger pistol in a dresser drawer on the afternoon of April 14, police said. He shot his brother under the eye.

The younger boy recovered after surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

When officers arrived, they found rotten garbage scattered on the kitchen floor, rubbish and dirty clothes in a child’s bedroom, and feces on walls, floors and a mattress.