SUNBURY -- A young child found running down a busy street in Sunbury led police to much more.
When officers took the boy home, they found garbage and feces inside the house. The child's mother works as a nurse and is now charged with child endangerment.
There's a steady flow of traffic on 11th Street in Sunbury throughout the day. That's why Kayla Ferrell is surprised to learn a 3-year-old boy was running there by himself over the weekend.
"It's very busy and my friend has a 3 year old as well, so you have to be very cautious anywhere, but this street, yeah."
According to court papers, a group of people saw the toddler running down the sidewalk. The boy then stopped and lay down. Someone called police.
After police talked to the child, they asked him where he lived. He led them here to the 100 block of Fairmount Avenue.
When Sunbury police walked into the house, they got more than they bargained for, so they called Code Enforcement Officer Eric Long.
"You could see a lot of rubbish and dirt and just not a good situation for any children," said Long.
When police went upstairs, they found Natalie Grubbs, the boy's mother. They also found a 9 year old and a 6 year old in the house.
When asked why the child was out running by himself, Grubbs said she had worked a double shift at an area hospital the night before and was sleeping. On social media, Grubbs says she's a licensed practical nurse.
Northumberland County Children and Youth took all three children out of the house.
"There was fecal matter in the unit and that needs to be cleaned up for sanitary reasons," said Long.
Grubbs is charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
She is allowed back in the house during certain time periods to clean it up. Code enforcement will check back Friday to see if the house is fit to live in.