Butler residents should look beyond the removal of 10 children Monday from their "house of filth and squalor" at 319 First St.

Residents who take pride in their community and the well-being of its human resources should ask how such an obviously long-term condition could have existed without neighbors becoming suspicious enough to alert authorities that something might be seriously amiss.

Could it be that some people of this city are so fearful about "getting involved" that they are willing to allow even young children to live in conditions not fit for animals?

Meanwhile, it is logical to question whether Butler County Children and Youth Services "dropped the ball" on this case. CYS reportedly had dealings with the family in question in the past.

CYS officials need to investigate whether there were any failures within the agency tied to this case - and respond correctly, if there were.

There are confidentiality issues involved in CYS' work, but the county commissioners also should be asking for assurances from top CYS officials that agency personnel did not err in this instance - and that if there were errors, that appropriate action will be forthcoming.

This is not a case that should have been allowed to evolve or persist in this city.

It's troubling to think how long the 10 children in question might have continued to live in their filthy, unhealthy home if a child-custody issue had not prompted police intervention. City police had responded to a call from a 17-year-old girl living at the home; she told police her mother's former boyfriend had taken his 2-year-old daughter - the teen's sister - from the house.

The man had violated a court-issued protection-from-abuse order when he went to the house and took custody of the toddler.

In response to the conditions that they encountered at the home, police arrested the 10 children's mother, April Pollard, 31, on 10 counts of endangering the welfare of children. CYS took custody of the children.

It's puzzling how a woman who could not ensure that there was food in the home - there was none - was able to muster the resources to post a $5,000 bond for her release from Butler County Prison.

Police found the home in what they described as a "deplorable condition." They said there was "garbage and soiled diapers strewn about the house."

The 10 children who lived at the home range in age from 1 to 17.

It is a case like this that raises questions about the adequacy of the safety net in place for the community's young. It is a case like this that questions the conscience of the community.

It is a case that, in fact, should rip at the heart of the community.

April Polland ultimately is responsible for the conditions that existed within her home. As an adult, she must accept responsibility, including the punishment that might be meted out.

However, it would seem that the failure of responsibility in this case might extend beyond 319 First St., and that is a troubling prospect that must be adequately addressed.