Child Found Sleeping With Fully Loaded Gun On Chest In 'Deplorable' NH Apartment
MANCHESTER, NH (CBS) - Police say it all started with reports of shots fired but it's what they found once they got inside of 29-year-old Thomas Gulledge's apartment that they found most alarming.
"I looked out the door and saw a red flash," Nicholas Dickerson said.
Neighbors heard what sounded like a single gunshot.
When police arrived to Flaherty Lane, they saw Thomas Gulledge about to go inside.
"He gave them permission to go into the apartment to make sure the scene was clear and that's when he noticed the deplorable living conditions," Lt. Brian O'Keefe explained.
Police say dog feces, rotten food and trash could be seen from the kitchen to the living room.
When they walked into the bedroom, police say they found a five-year-old girl sleeping with a loaded gun on her chest.
"They grabbed the handgun they woke the child to make sure there was no medical condition. To make sure she was OK. After that they arrested the man inside," he added.
Neighbors say it's just Gulledge and his daughter Rosalie, Rosie to them.
"Outside what you could see he was a great dad," Shauna Erwin said.
But to learn what happened inside the apartment, she said, "The fact that he allowed her to sleep in a bed full of feces and rotten food... How?"
Gulledge was taken into custody on an electronic bench warrant and charged with two counts of reckless conduct.
Thursday afternoon, his dog was taken out of the apartment but neighbors can't stop thinking about the gun.
They can't believe Rosie had it on her chest. Sleeping or not.
"What if she got curious and pressed the button?" Erwin said.
Prosecutors say the girl had to be cleaned at the hospital and that she was covered in grime.
They also said the gun had 13 rounds in it.
Gulledge was arraigned Thursday afternoon. The judge held him on $10,000, ordered him to stay away from his daughter, and stay away from guns.
His daughter was taken away from him.