A judge this week ordered Betty Sue Snider, 35, to serve 3 years in a correctional facility for the treatment of her children, who were ages 10, 11, and 16 when she was arrested last year.
The 3 children were allegedly left alone for days at a time and forced to stay outside in the yard in inhumane conditions.
In July, Snider entered an Alford plea to 4 counts of wanton endangerment, 4 counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, and 3 counts of abandonment of a minor, WLKY reported.
An Alford plea results in a conviction, but allows a defendant to maintain their claim of innocence while conceding that the state has sufficient evidence to convict them at trial.
The investigation into Snider began in August 2024, when administrators at the 16-year-old’s school said she came in appearing neglected, dehydrated, and malnourished. They also noticed that the girl’s 2 younger siblings had stopped coming to school. Administrators notified authorities about the teen’s condition and said they were concerned about the other children being in danger.
At about 2pm on August 29, 2024, officers responded to the home in the 7400 block of Home Park Drive to perform a welfare check. Upon arriving, they located the younger siblings without parental supervision. The children appeared dirty, hungry, and had visible injuries.
In an interview with police, the children said they had been sleeping outside behind Snider’s trailer in various areas, including in a tent, on a swing, or on chairs that were left outside, WHAS reported. The officers also noted that the inside of the home was “unlivable,” with bugs and trash visible all over.
Snider told police that she knew the home was unlivable, adding that she had not been inside the residence in several months.
Snider admitted to not being at the location for extended periods of time, police wrote.
Following Snider’s arrest, a neighbor told WAVE that she could often hear the children outside at 4:00 in the morning, screaming and fighting with each other.
The children’s great-grandmother, Mary Buckhammer, told the station she had filed multiple reports with police and Child Protective Services regarding the children’s living conditions. She also said that, despite living on the same block as Snider, the mother would not allow the children to see her.
“I said there’s kids living outside, using the bathroom outside, don’t take showers, eats once they can get their food,” Buckhammer reportedly said. “Mother’s gone several days at a time at night. They really need help. They need somebody to do something.”
