Marysville 5-year-old saved from trash-filled apartment

Officers removed a 5-year-old girl from a Marysville apartment filled with more than 3 feet of filth, garbage and tarantulas, the Police Department said Saturday.

"It was one of the worst situations I've ever seen," Sgt. Chris Sachs said.

The mother, Alyson Leonard, was booked into the Yuba County Jail on suspicion of child cruelty. She later posted a $25,000 bail bond and was released, according to booking records.

The 41-year-old stay-at-home mom agreed to an interview with the Appeal-Democrat on Saturday night. Four subsequent telephone calls to her home went unanswered.

Trash was piled around and on the child's bed. Less than a foot away from her pillow sat a small case containing tarantulas, police said.

Nearly every inch of the floor and every countertop was covered with a shifting mass of dozens of full trash bags, food, beer, soda and diaper wrappers, according to Sachs.

Police were called just before 8 a.m. Friday to a report of a domestic argument inside Leonard's apartment in the 1200 block of East 22nd Street.

Sachs said numerous witness confirmed an argument, but Leonard denied any confrontations occurred.

"Upon further investigation, officers discovered a substantial amount of trash and waste in every room in the house," Sachs said.

Erin Maskovich, the assistant apartment manager, said she was "horrified" when she looked inside the apartment.

Maskovich said apartment managers are working with health and public safety officials.

Discarded pizza boxes were piled atop an electric water heater. In another room, a heaping pile of empty prescription pill bottles covered other apparently full garbage bags, authorities said.

The girl was not injured, police said. Child Protective Services conducted an investigation and took her. The Building Department is also looking into the case, police said.

Leonard is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 26 in Yuba County Superior Court.

CONTACT Rob Parsons at rparsons@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4785. Find him on Facebook at /ADcrimebeat or on Twitter at @ADcrimebeat.