Man pleads guilty to keeping sons in filthy home

A father accused of neglecting his four young sons and keeping them in a filthy Denver apartment has pleaded guilty to felony child abuse.

Wayne Sperling accepted an agreement with prosecutors Thursday. He faces up to seven years when he is sentenced on Dec. 30.

Prosecutors agreed to drop five other charges.

Authorities say Sperling, his wife and the boys lived in an apartment filled with cat feces and flies. The children, aged 2 to 6, were malnourished and could only communicate in grunts when they were found in October 2013.

Sperling’s wife, Lorinda Bailey, was sentenced last week to 90 days in jail and five years of probation after pleading guilty to child abuse.

Prosecutors say the boys are improving in foster care but haven’t asked about their parents.