Infants Left Alone in Filthy, Trash-Strewn Star Inn Motel Room: Police

Police say they found two infants left alone in a filthy, trash-strewn West Jefferson Street motel room.

Officers were sent to the Star Inn about 6:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day to investigate a report of someone screaming.

A housekeeper opened a room and officers found a year-old baby sitting on a bed and wearing nothing but a urine and feces-filled diaper, police said.

The room was “filthy” and a “shambles,” police said, with cigarette butts and cups containing alcohol left on the floor, overflowing trashcans, garbage and cigarette butts dumped in the sink, razors on the floor, and other debris lying about.

The place also had an “awful smell,” police said.

There was a dozen baby bottles left around, the contents spoiled to various degrees, police said. The baby tried to drink from the bottles and pick up razors during the few minutes officers were in the room.

During his short time there, an officer noticed something moving and pushed aside some pillows to find a second child, this one 5-months-old, police said. The younger baby also reportedly wore nothing but a T-shirt and soiled diaper.

While officers were in the room a resident told them the mother of the children was sitting in a car parked outside. When questioned, the mother, 22-year-old Stephanie Patterson, first said she just stepped out to smoke a cigarette, then explained that she went to the store to buy toilet paper, and finally told how she had been beaten by her husband and fled the motel room, according to police.

Patterson had a wound on her face, police said, and was transported to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center. When she got out of the hospital she was taken to the police station, charged with endangering a child and released on her own recognizance.

Officer’s then tracked down Patterson’s husband, Peji Patterson, 24, at the Marathon Station on Glenwood Avenue. He was also charged with endangering a child and was jailed on charges of aggravated domestic battery and domestic battery. He remained in custody Friday afternoon.

The children were taken away by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, police said. DCFS turned them over to a great-grandmother.

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