A Georgia couple is behind bars after police say they left a 3-year-old child alone in a shed, unsupervised.
On June 2, police arrested Sarah Pombert, 34, and Joseph Turner, 35, in Douglasville. They are accused of leaving the victim “unsupervised, unbathed, and unclothed” in a backyard shed between May 1 and May 22, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
An arrest warrant filed by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on May 29 alleged that the defendants kept “a dirty living space in a shed without running water or electricity” and left the child “unsupervised, unbathed, and unclothed with criminal negligence.”
Officials haven’t provided details on how they discovered him in the shed, ABC News reports.
A neighbor told WSB-TV that the shed had burned down during Memorial Day weekend. Matthew Govoni, who lives nearby, said the couple had lived in the home for over 10 years, adding that he wasn’t surprised by the child’s living conditions, citing the couple’s way of life.
“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.
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[Feature Photo via Douglas County Jail]
