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Couple accused of keeping disabled daughter in deplorable conditions

Both suspects are being held on $10,000 bond in the Scott County Jail.
Harris and Williams

DAVENPORT, Iowa — A domestic dispute between a Davenport couple turned into a disturbing investigation of neglect when officers discovered a intellectually disabled woman living in a locked room in squalid conditions earlier this week.

Police responded to a home on Jenna Drive in Davenport on Tuesday after receiving reports of a couple fighting. When they arrived, the male half of the dispute – 56-year-old Eugene Harris – told police that the female half, Kimberly Williams, had kept her disabled daughter locked in a room for at least one year, where she was forced to drink from a toilet and had only been let outside of the room twice in 12 months.

Harris told police the fight started because he was trying to convince Williams to take the 27-year-old daughter to the doctor and he had been bringing her bottled water and food.

Police ended up arresting both Williams and Harris and charging them with neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Williams was booked into the jail on Thursday, May 24 and Harris on Friday, May 25.

The daughter was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries she sustained as a result of her poor living conditions. She is now in the custody of the Iowa Department of Human Services.

Other evidence Davenport police noted at the residence includes:

  • The woman’s room contained only a mattress on the floor to sleep on.
  • The only other furniture in the room was a non-working television and a broken dresser.
  • The room smelled strongly of urine and feces and there were soiled adult diapers in the attached bathroom.
  • The daughter had no access to a telephone or other means of access to call for help or assistance.

Both Williams and Harris have initial court appearances scheduled in June. They are being held on $10,000 bond each.

 

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