SEALY — A couple was in jail Thursday after authorities said they found a half-dozen children locked in a toolshed behind an unlicensed day-care center.
The children were surrounded by lawn equipment, gasoline and insecticide when they were found Wednesday morning after a child welfare inspector responded to a complaint that an illegal child-care center was being operated at the home, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said.
Police found 14 children ages 3 months to 5 years. Some children were hidden in the house and at a residence next door, Carter said. The couple could legally care for only three children, she said.
Paramedics examined all the children and found them unharmed. Parents were called to pick them up.
Marietta Patek, 55, faces six charges of child endangerment, Austin County District Attorney Travis Koehn said. Her husband, Freddie Patek, 47, faces a charge of tampering with evidence.
Bail was set at $10,000 for each. They have no attorney of record to comment on their behalf, jail officials said Thursday.
"They’re the sweetest people," a neighbor, Christalynn Bell, told Houston TV station KRIV. "They always think about the children first. . . . It’s totally mind-boggling."
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