Drugged out dad found passed out at motel, charged with child neglect; what happened to the mothers of these children? (Hurricane, West Virginia)

Dad is identified as ANDRAISE ANTHONY CLARK. But lots of unanswered questions. Why was this drugged-out mess in a motel with two kids, one his son and one his nephew? What happened to the mothers of these kids? Why is his son in the care of CPS? Did Dad have custody? What "family member" took the nephew?

http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/Father-Passes-Out-in-Motel-Charged-with-Child-Neglect-265782511.html

Father Passes Out in Motel, Charged with Child Neglect

Posted: Thu 11:33 PM, Jul 03, 2014

By: Andrew Colegrove

As the rest of the country celebrates freedom, one father will be behind bars.

HURRICANE, W.Va. (WSAZ) – As the rest of the country celebrates freedom, one father will be behind bars.

Andraise Anthony Clark from St. Albans is charged with child neglect creating risk of injury.

Heather Huffman has been staying at the Budget Inn Motel in Hurricane.

Thursday she saw two little boys, 5 and 4 years old, playing by themselves outside.

"The kids just kept running back and forth on the balcony," Huffman said. “They were dirty. It was apparent they were dirty. They hadn't been taken care of."

One of the boys was smoking a cigarette.

Amanda Edwards is the motel manager. She went in their room and found Clark, the father of one of the boys and uncle of the other, passed out in bed.

Hurricane police say when they arrived, Clark couldn't even hold his head up or answer basic questions. They found a bag of Xanex pills, Clark was covered in blood, and feces were on the motel room floor.

"Everyone was emotional, including myself," Huffman said. "One of the little boys had sunburned so severely it was literally chafed and blistered and peeling on his back."

The manager says one of the boys kept clinging to her.

"The smallest one would not let me go,” Edwards said. “He was scared, almost like this was familiar to him. That's what broke my heart about it more than anything."

Clark could face 1 to 5 years in jail or a $3,000 fine.

CPS took his child into custody. The other child was released to family.

Police say they're not sure why Clark was covered in blood.

Police say that motel has had a reputation of drug abuse.

New management took over in January. Edwards says they've taken steps to improve their image.

"We've went to great lengths to make sure the guests feel safe and comfortable," Edwards said. "We don't want the drug users who'd been staying here to feel like this is a place to call home."

Edwards says this was the first such incident they’ve had in nearly a month.