Couple reunited with children who lived in desert shack

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (AP) — A couple who faced child abuse charges after their three children were found living in a squalid shack in the Southern California desert have been reunited with the youngsters — and the family has a new home.

A judge in San Bernardino County ruled Thursday that Daniel Panico and Mona Kirk can bring home the children, who’ll still remain under county supervision.

The children had lived in a plywood shack in Joshua Tree for four years before they were removed in February.

The parents pleaded not guilty to child abuse and the charges have been reduced to misdemeanor child endangerment.

Neighbors said the parents were only guilty of being poor. A crowdfunding campaign in March raised enough money to buy them a furnished home in Joshua Tree.