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In a heartbreaking scene, Tulsa police entered a home to find a naked toddler locked up in a dog crate. The 18-month-old was screaming and covered in feces while the father lay asleep in another room.

They were alerted to the situation when neighbors called 911 after finding another child in the backyard, naked, crying, and shivering in the 40-degree temps. “All I could hear was the baby saying, daddy let me back in. I'm cold, I'm scared. Please let me back in,” the neighbor said. They knocked on the door, but when no one answered, they took the 4-year-old home and alerted the police.

As soon as police stepped into the house, they were reportedly hit with the stench of excrement. After freeing the caged child, they found another one unclothed but asleep in the master bedroom where the father, William Lewallen Sr., was passed out, according to the officers.

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His excuse for not tending to the kids? He told officers he had taken a narcotic pain medication, a muscle relaxer, and anti-seizure med along with a beer and then took a rest. Apparently, nothing roused this dad -- not the screaming toddler caged in the next room, the neighbors knocking, or the cops breaking down the door. God knows what could have happened to those three unattended children. Thank goodness for nosy neighbors, I suppose.

Lewallen was arrested and is being held on $50,000 bond until a November 19 court date and the three children are with the Department of Human Services. If convicted, I hope this man gets a sentence befitting his crime. He treated those poor kids like animals, so let's see how he likes being locked in a cage and ignored.

What do you think would be a fair sentence for this dad?

Image via smiely's photostream/Flickr