Background: A section of KY 3439 South outside of Barbourville, Kentucky (Google Maps). Inset: Jeremiah Grubb (Knox County Sheriff”s Office).
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has charged 23-year-old Jeremiah Grubb with two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor. He is currently held at the Knox County Detention Center, according to an official announcement.
At approximately 11:50 a.m. on Thursday, a deputy was dispatched to KY 3439 South, near Barbourville, Kentucky, a small community situated roughly 90 miles north of Knoxville, Tennessee.
This response was prompted by reports from witnesses who discovered two young children, aged 2 and 3, meandering along the highway unsupervised. As reported by the local Fox affiliate WDKY, these witnesses had looked after the children for about 15 minutes before alerting authorities, with no sign of any parents or guardians.
When first responders arrived, they found one child partially clothed and the other in need of changing, promptly attending to their needs.
One of the children was reportedly partially naked and the other one needed to be changed. First responders cared for both kids when they arrived.
As deputies investigated, they learned that Grubb was the children’s father, that he “was asleep,” and that the children’s mother was at work. Furthermore, the lock on the door of their home was apparently broken.
The area’s Department of Child Services and emergency personnel went to the family’s home. The children “were released to a family member” after being checked and cleared by medics, the sheriff’s office said.
Grubb was arrested and arraigned in court on Monday. He is no longer listed as an inmate in the Knox County Detention Center.
