Left to right: Sara Jackson, Arthur Jackson (Glendale Police Department).
In Arizona, a couple faces serious accusations of imprisoning their young children, ages 4 and 6, in a room around the clock. The parents allegedly prevented the kids from accessing the bathroom by securing the door with zip ties, which reportedly led to developmental issues, authorities stated.
Sara Jackson, 36, confessed to being “sometimes a bad mom” during questioning by local law enforcement, as revealed in a statement of probable cause from the Glendale Police Department, shared by Law&Crime. She allegedly expressed feelings of being “overwhelmed” and lacking “motivation.”
The charges against Sara and the children’s father, Arthur Jackson, include felony child abuse due to the “alarming” conditions their sons endured, according to police reports unveiled at a press conference held on Monday.
“A concerned passerby noticed a naked child through an apartment window while working nearby, prompting a call to the police,” explained Glendale Police Sergeant Bryan Hoskin. “The children were found living in extremely unsanitary environments and exhibited notable developmental delays. One was nonverbal, and the other spoke very little.”
Police responded to the tip on January 29, conducting a welfare check that uncovered the deplorable living conditions, including widespread feces and an “infestation of insects,” according to Hoskin.
The apartment was likened to a “hoarder situation,” with clutter filling the space, including the bathroom which the children were prohibited from using.
“Just horrible living conditions,” Hoskin alleged. “Something that you wouldn’t even wish on your worst enemy. … Outdoors in a barn could be better conditions than what we saw in this apartment.”
Jose Santiago, administrator with the Glendale Police Department, told reporters that the conditions were “so deplorable” that officers who responded were “quite in shock” by what they saw.
“These parents showed, really, no signs of any kind of remorse or any kind of shock when our officers arrived,” Santiago said. “They basically acted as if this was just a normal activity.”
According to the probable cause statement, Sara Jackson told police that the reason for feces being “on the walls and floors” was that their boys “are not potty trained” and do not like to use “the porta potty” in the bedroom.
“Sara said they put a gate on the bedroom because her 6-year-old son started pooping on the floor, and he likes to throw his feces,” the statement says. “Sara told me the children have not attended any school and have not been to a doctor since they were born.”
Sara Jackson alleged that her husband “doesn’t say anything about the conditions of the home or the children,” and he is often away at work, per the statement. The children are allegedly locked up in a room with “zip ties” and a gate while he’s away.
“Arthur stated he works a lot and doesn’t have time to scrub the apartment,” according to the statement. “Arthur stated the kids are in the room with the gate closed when he is at work. He said he works up to nine hours a day, six days a week, and he opens the gate when he is at home.”
Sara Jackson, however, was asked how long the kids are usually confined for and she admitted that “her boys are locked in the room with the gate closed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and when Arthur is home,” according to the statement.
“The bathroom doorknob was zip-tied to an eyelet screw so the children could not use it,” the statement adds.
Both children have been placed in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety. Sara and Arthur Jackson were booked on two counts of child abuse each and were being held on $25,000 bonds.
