Photo: Modoc County Sheriff
Truly shocking.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Apr 28, 2019
When two people decide to have a child together they understand (or soon learn) that this baby's safety has to come before all other things. Places and people who once seemed totally harmless can now send them into a total panic that has them wishing that the entire world was wrapped up tight with protective plastic. Unfortunately, for some parents, their children's safety takes the backseat to their own needs. When this happens, the results can be absolutely devastating and even criminal. Police sent to search a house for an entirely different reason were shocked when they saw the state the children there lived in. When you see how they slept every night you'll understand why. Who Are Mercadies Williams and Ramon Zendejas?
1. The Sheriff's Accusations
On April 19th, the Modoc Sheriff's department paid a visit to the home of Ramon Zendejas and Mercadies Williams. It was while they were in the home that they made a discovery that has caught the nation's attention. The Sherrif's department alleges that Ramon and Mercadies were keeping their very young toddlers in crates like dogs. The Sheriff's department wasn't pulling any punches. After making the arrest they wasted no time sharing the conditions that they found with the public. What we all saw seemed pretty shocking. There were two cribs that were stacked on top of each other precariously. They are both shoved beneath a sloping wall and a close up reveals that both close from the outside with a lock.
2. Other Criminal Activity
After finding the two boys (both under two) in the house at the time of the search the Sheriff's office quickly took them into custody. But the story wasn't over. In fact, it was about to get a whole lot more complicated. The Sheriff's department released a press statement about the case making it clear that they hadn't shown up at the house to take the boys, they were there for another reason entirely. You see, the authorities had procured a warrant to search the place for illegal firearms and with the help of a couple of other government agencies, they did and they hit the jackpot. The authorities uncovered multiple firearms, the bullets to go with them and what they believed to be some meth. Yup. Good ol' fashioned meth.
3. Child Abuse Charges Dropped
It seemed like an open and shut case as far as the Sheriff was concerned, but the state had other ideas and people were pretty appalled. District Attorney Sam Kyllo dismissed the child abuse cases and even went to so far to go out of his way and let people know what he thought personally. In a statement he issued, Kyllo said, “There’s [sic] no kids in cages and it’s not a child endangerment case. They’re cribs, you can buy them on Amazon.” He, of course, made sure to mention that the state would still be prosecuting them on the weapons and meth charges, but that this one about the kids was being dismissed. I don't know about you, but illegal guns and meth sound like the definition of child neglect, but hey, what do I know?
4. Dad's Still Locked Up
Both Mercadies and Ramon Zendejas were arrested when the authorities searched their home on April 19th, both were being held in jail with a bond of $10,000 each. In an interesting twist, Mercadies was able to leave jail without having to raise the bond. She was allowed to go on "her own recognizance." Ramon, however, wasn't as fortunate. As far as anyone can tell, he is still being held in prison having been unable to raise the money needed to release him until his court date. Whether or not that speaks to how this arrest affected his relationship with Mercadies is anyone's guess, but still worth pointing out.
5. More About Mom
When the police arrived at the scene, Ramon told them that he and Mercadies were just boyfriend and girlfriend, but on Facebook, he professes that the two of them have been married since 2018. According to photos on his page, it would seem that they are also raising a young daughter. Whether or not the child is Ramon's has yet to be confirmed. While not much if anything is known about Ramon's work history, Mercadies has been working at the Department of Agriculture since 2016, or at least her social media profiles would have others believe. She is out of jail now but it is unknown whether or not she is working to regain custody of her two boys.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.