FRUITDALE — A Brown County couple has been charged with neglect of a dependent after police say the father took a handful of pills and the mother left the house after a violent interaction with him.

Travis and Abigail Rankin were both charged Sept. 13, with Level 6 felonies.

Police responded to the Rankin home in Fruitdale three times on Aug. 13.

The first was for a disturbance at around 7:40 a.m. Travis J. Rankin, 36, was upset with his neighbor over property lines that were being surveyed, the police report said.

Less than three hours later, Abigail L. Rankin, 34, called police. She told the 911 operator that he was cutting up trees, doors and other property, according to a probable cause affidavit by Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Stargell.

Nashville Police Detective Brian Lucas responded and reported that Travis was upset because Abigail refused to mow the yard, so he went out and started cutting down trees, the affidavit said.

Lucas told Stargell that Abigail left the home after she called 911.

Less than two hours after that, police, an ambulance and volunteer fire departments were dispatched for a possible overdose.

Stargell found Travis laying on his back near the front door.

Stargell also reported seeing an arm of the couch that had been cut by a chainsaw.

Travis was going in and out of consciousness, the report said. He kept asking for Abigail, but he said he didn’t know her number. He was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital. Stargell said he tried to contact Abigail several times, including leaving voicemails.

One of the children told Stargell that his father had gotten upset after Abigail left, and he told his kids he wanted to ride his motorcycle to the West Coast, the affidavit states. When they went in to see what Travis was doing, he showed the children a mouth full of pills and said he was “just trying to take a nap,” the police report said.

One of the children ran to a neighbor’s house, but that neighbor did not call 911 because he thought Travis looked fine, the police report said. The child then ran to the home of another neighbor, who called for help, the report said.

The other child fled into the woods, the report said.

Stargell contacted the Department of Child Services. The officer tried to call Abigail, but she didn’t answer until dispatch called from an unblocked number, the affidavit states. She told police family members were on their way to pick up the children.

She told Stargell she left the children with Travis during the chainsaw incident because she was “in fear of her life and he has never been physically abusive” toward the children, the report said.

The child who had fled into the woods returned to the home, and both were placed into the care of relatives, the report said.