The parents who allowed their children to live in a home with feces-covered walls pleaded guilty yesterday to a misdemeanor charge.
Eugene Mongold, 28, and Amanda Nichole Mongold, 24, had been charged with three counts each of felony child neglect.
But Spotsylvania County prosecutor Edith Minn agreed to drop two of the charges and reduce one to contributing to the delinquency of a minor in exchange for their guilty pleas.
Minn told Judge V. James Ventura that she felt it was appropriate to reduce the charges because the parents had been so compliant and responsible since the incident that occurred earlier this year.
She said they have already completed parenting classes and have cleaned up their home from the clutter and dirt their three children were living in.
Ventura, at Minn's recommendation, sentenced each of them to 12 months in jail with all time suspended, as long as they fully comply with the Department of Social Services and continue their cooperation with the agency.
The Mongolds were charged in January when a deputy responded to a domestic call at their Wagon Drive home in Meadows Trailer Park and found the children naked, emaciated and living in poor conditions.
Minn told Ventura that the couple had come a long way since their arrest.
Ellen Biltz: 540/374-5424
Email: ebiltz@freelancestar.com