6 Children Removed From Fayette Co. Home
UNIONTOWN (KDKA) – According to police, six children were living in filthy conditions because their mother allegedly spent too much time on the computer in Fayette County.
The oldest child is 12-years-old, while the youngest is 3-years-old. They are all now in the custody of Fayette County Children and Youth Services.
On a computer in her Uniontown bedroom, police believe Elizabeth Ruffner spent so many hours playing online video games, that she neglected her six children and housekeeping.
Authorities arrived at the house after Ruffner's son's school could not reach her because the computer and phone were on the same line.
"Filthy. The refrigerator had mold in it, there was no food. The bedrooms, the mattresses were on the floor, they were filthy. No sheet covers and no pillow covers," Officer Mike Garrow said.
Jim Boord has been with Ruffner for 10 years and disputed some of the officer's claims.
"We have two deep freezers in the basement clear full of meat. They said my place was dirty for two years. No it wasn't," Boord said.
He admits that his dog was a problem and he took it to a shelter.
"I had a dog in here and it was messing all over the place," Boord said.
Things fell apart when Ruffner's obsession with online games grew. While video game overuse is not designated as an addiction or impulse control disorder, it is being studied.
Boord showed KDKA's Mary Robb Jackson through the house, which is now clean. He is hoping when child services returns, their children will be allowed to return as well.
"When they come out, we'll see if we can get our kids back," Boord said.
The computer is no longer connected to the Internet, but the couple is facing some legal problems. Uniontown Police are preparing warrants that will charge them with endangering the welfare of their children.
