Father facing more charges in house of filth case

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Six children taken into protective custody when Wilkes-Barre Township officials condemned their Metcalf Street apartment due to unsanitary conditions last month had feces and urine stains on their clothing, poor hygiene and teeth, skin sores and bruises, according to court records filed Thursday.

Conditions of the inside of the apartment of Richard Kevin Rause Jr., 38, and his wife, Dana Ann Rause, 31, go into greater detail in a criminal complaint charging Richard Rause with more offenses due to the alleged treatment and care of his six children.

Richard Rause and his wife were initially arrested on six counts of endangering the welfare of children on Feb. 21.

Police added seven counts of reckless endangerment, two counts of simple assault and a single count of intimidating a witness or victim against Richard Rause. He was arraigned on the latest charges by District Judge Matthew C. Christopher of Shickshinny and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $150,000 bail.

Dana Rause was released March 6 when her bail was modified to $250,000 unsecured.

Police detectives in their careers described the interior of the apartment as “horrid,” and were “the most deplorable conditions that have been seen.”

The criminal complaint filed against Richard Rause this week details medical examinations of each of the six children, ages 2 to 11. Each child had feces and urine stains on their clothing or shoes, dirty and uncut fingernails, poor teeth, had body odors of urine and feces, matted and dirty hair and skin sores or broken dry skin.

Charges were upgraded against Richard Rause after detectives questioned the eldest child and Dana Rause.

The eldest child blamed Richard Rause for the unsanitary conditions of the home that included feces smeared on walls, rotting or no food, broken pipes, exposed electrical wires and trash thrown about in every room, according to court records.

Police in court records said the only source of heat was a space heater found on a bed mattress where the 2-year-old boy was found.

Dana Rause told detectives they moved into the Metcalf Street apartment in 2017. She allegedly described Richard Rause has having a bad temper and would often assault her, resulting in her eyes being swollen shut and large lacerations on her head and face.

Dana Rause alleged her husband intentionally disabled her vehicle, preventing her from leaving the apartment and had stolen her public access card causing her to beg for help from people to feed her children, court records say.

Police allege Richard Rause hand wrote a letter to his wife that was mailed through the county prison system which they say was intimidating.