A Georgia couple is behind bars after police say they left a 3-year-old child alone in a shed, unsupervised.
On June 2, authorities arrested Sarah Pombert, 34, and Joseph Turner, 35, in Douglasville on charges related to child neglect. They allegedly left a child “unsupervised, unbathed, and unclothed” in a backyard shed from May 1 to May 22, reports FOX 5 Atlanta.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office filed an arrest warrant on May 29, accusing the pair of maintaining “a dirty living space in a shed without running water or electricity” and neglecting the child through “criminal negligence” by not providing supervision, bathing, or clothing.
Officials haven’t provided details on how they discovered him in the shed, ABC News reports.
A neighbor informed WSB-TV that the shed had burned down during Memorial Day weekend. Matthew Govoni, residing nearby, mentioned that the couple had lived in the house for over a decade and remarked that the child’s poor living condition did not shock him, referencing the couple’s lifestyle.
“I’m saddened for them and the child, but I mean, for the child, I hope they can get to a place where they can be helped,” Govoni said.“With the lifestyle they live, I’m not surprised by any of that, really.”
Both defendants are facing second-degree child cruelty charges. They were booked in the Douglas County Jail.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo via Douglas County Jail]
