Two Indiana County parents have been charged with leaving their children locked in their bedrooms for up to 16 hours at a time with no lights or toys.

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William Dixon, 38, and Shannon Dixon, 34, are separated. Shannon Dixon remains free on unsecured bond while William Dixon is awaiting arraignment on several criminal charges.

State police said the Dixons would lock their three children, ages 4, 6, and 8, inside their own rooms for 14 to 16 hours each day. Investigators said the children were not able to reach the locks, which locked from the outside, and could not leave from windows, which were also locked. The children each had a portable toilet in their rooms.

Police and Children and Youth Services workers were called to the home after teachers and community members reported the children’s claims.

The 8-year-old boy told police that he only bathes once a week and that in the summer, his parents kept him locked in the room from 6 p.m. until 9 a.m.