Crystal Roberston, Shane Robertson (Pennridge Regional Police Department)
Pennsylvania parents of seven children were already facing serious child endangerment charges following the discovery of their house of horrors months ago, but now the suspects have to contend with new assault charges filed by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
The new charges filed on Sept. 25 — two days before Shane Robertson turned 48 years old and roughly one month after Crystal Roberston turned 38 years old — stem from interviews of children JV1 (a 16-year-old girl), JV2 (a 14-year-old girl), JV3 (a 12-year-old girl), JV4 (a 10-year-old girl), JV5 (an 8-year-old girl), JV6 (a 6-year-old boy), and JV7 (a 4-year-old girl), in the aftermath of their April 23 rescue from the Sellersville trailer park home.
JV1, the eldest child, allegedly told authorities that her father punched her in the face back in February, bloodying her nose. When the victim tried to run away, Shane Robertson chased after her and dragged her back to the home by her hair in front of her siblings, the affidavit said.
JV2 said both Shane and Crystal Robertson “beat us up,” according to cops.
“She reported that Shane Robertson, her father, was more physically abusive than Crystal Robertson, her mom, but that both would hit and injure the children,” the affidavit said. The victim said that her mother beat her with her dad’s belt.
JV2 also said that her father once threatened to “suffocate” her.
“JV2 reported that Shane and Crystal were arguing, and Crystal told Shane, ‘do whatever you want, kill them if you want,”” court documents say. “Shane then took a ‘brown, fluffy’ blanket and held it tightly over JV2’s face, impeding JV2’s ability to breathe.”
Cops said that other siblings, including JV5, remembered hearing her sister gasping for breath.
JV2 further told cops that her father once gave her a knife and told her to go in the bathroom and stab herself. On another occasion, the child said, her father told her to kill herself behind a shed on the property.
The victim allegedly said her parents punched the children in the face and left them with black eyes.
“JV2 described one incident where Shane struck her, leaving her eye ‘fluffy, black, and blue,” the affidavit said.
JV3 allegedly told cops that her parents abused her JV1, JV2, and JV6 more frequently and harder than the other children.
“JV3 described one incident in or around September of 2022 where JV2 and JV3 took one of the family dogs outside, and the dog was ultimately struck by a car,” the affidavit continued. “Shane and Crystal hit both JV2 and JV3, leaving welts.”
The girl also revealed that her mother would threaten to kill the children’s pet rats and that her father abused the siblings “basically our whole lives,” cops said.
“There would be times where Crystal would leave while Shane was beating the children, and Crystal would tell Shane to ‘have at it,’” JV3 told police, adding that JV6, the couple’s only son, was “beaten the worst.”
JV3 alleged that both parents used cords “or anything within their reach to strike the children,” including the suspects’ own hands.
JV4 recalled the starving children being beaten with cords, a belt, and hands when they took food from a refrigerator or their mother’s purse.
“As a result of the children ‘stealing’ the food, Shane would beat the children,” the affidavit said. “JV4 reported that these beatings would leave read marks, and JV6 would get welts.”
The girl said that her father hit both her and her younger brother in the face.
JV5 said “we got beat by daddy and mommy a lot,” but she said her siblings were hit harder than she was.
“JV5 described Shane leaving big red marks on JV6 after beating him. JV5 also described Shane striking JV2 with a cord and leaving a red mark,” the affidavit ended.
Investigators concluded that there was probable cause to charge Crystal Robertson with simple assault and conspiracy to commit simple assault, and probable cause to charge Shane Robertson with strangulation, simple assault and conspiracy to commit simple assault.
How we got here
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As Law&Crime reported in May, the seven children with no formal education were found in late April living in filthy conditions surrounded by animals at the Roseann Lane residence.
Authorities had received a call about two children, JV3 and JV2, entering an abandoned neighboring trailer.
JV3 explained that she had taken a blanket to keep her rats warm.
“Upon their arrival, they found a 12-year-old juvenile female (henceforth JV3) in the front yard of 655 Roseann Lane, directly next door to 675 Roseann Lane. JV3 began speaking to officers by explaining that her parents told them not to go over to the abandoned trailer and that her parents should not be held responsible,” said the initial affidavit of probable cause, describing the Pennridge Regional Police Department’s encounter with a barefoot child who told them she had social anxiety. “JV3 continued by stating she was only taking a blanket to keep her rats warm because her family does not have much money left.”
JV2 then emerged from the abandoned residence wearing “large work boots too big for her feet and had on clothing that appeared dirty.”
The children’s parents were not home at the time, but when they got there, the suspects let cops look around their residence. What they allegedly found inside was shocking.
“Crystal Robertson stated that they were going through so much food that she had to put a lock on the refrigerator because they were ‘stealing’ everything and referred to the children as ‘garbage disposals with legs,’” the affidavit detailed. “Upon entry into the trailer, officers found the refrigerator to be locked shut with a bicycle lock. The interior of he trailer was also in obvious disrepair and disarray.”
An “unkempt” JV1 appeared and Shane Robertson lied that she was the last daughter he had, when in fact he had three more daughters and a son, cops said.
“When Officers arrived, they met with Shane Robertson outside of the home, who advised he had seven children and did not tell officers this earlier because he did not want to get in any trouble,” according to law enforcement’s account.
Cops said that four of the children had to be taken to a hospital for evaluations and all of them, expect for JV2, were “clinically malnourished.” Many of the children were sick, too. Several had “poor eyesight,” one had maggots in her hair, at least two were “clinically underweight,” and the lone boy had a “dangerous abscess in his mouth” and “13 visible cavities.”
“JV5 and JV7 tested positive for Covid9. JV1 and JV7 had low kidney function. JV2, JV3, and JV5 had fevers and were diagnosed with Acute Viral Syndrome,” the affidavit detailed further.
Cops said that none of the children were educated and some of them didn’t even know when they were born.
“Over the next week, it was learned that none of the seven children had any formal education, and all lacked basic knowledge. Some of the children did not know their own birthdates. Four of the children suffer from speech impediments,” investigators said. “All of the children struggle with reading, writing, and spelling. They all exhibited social anxiety and disclosed that they did not like being in public or around other people.”
Inside the suspects’ bedroom, cops said, was a filthy bed surrounded by animal cages.
“The sheets on the bed did not appear to have been washed in several weeks/months. On the floor were items of garbage and the walls had holes in them,” court documents said. “The back bedroom adjacent to Shane and Crystal’s bedroom was blocked off with a broken washing machine. This room did not have a door and was cluttered with dirty clothing and garbage on the floor.”
Another bedroom had feces in it and “housed approximately two dozen rats that were located in two different cages.”
Investigators found “two dogs, two turtles, two rabbits, snakes, toads, and a four-foot reptile known as a Tegu inside the home, along with the approximately two dozen rats,” documents said.
As the children starved, the “only notable food located in the home was for the animals,” investigators said.
Law enforcement was also disturbed to uncover that the home was not only filthy but that there were no cleaning products to be found.
“The bathroom also did not have soap, toothpaste, or any other hygienic products for the occupants of the home,” court documents said. “The cabinets were in very bad shape the oven appeared as if it had never been cleaned.”
The trailer home was in such a bad way that Crystal Robertson “fell through the floor” in front of her bedroom door a few months prior, according to the affidavit.
Before they were hit with the new assault charges, Crystal and Shane Robertson were facing several charges for endangering the welfare of their children.
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