Polk County Sheriff’s Office took this picture of a “deplorable” home where an employee with Florida’s Department of Children and Families lived with her husband and two kids. The employee, Tawnya White. and husband Devin White are facing child neglect charges. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
A Florida woman whose job it is to protect children and ensure they have a proper home to live in apparently failed to hold her own household to the same standard.
Tawnya White, who has worked for the Department of Children and Families for 13 years, and her husband Devin White are facing a child neglect charge after their home was found in “deplorable” conditions, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
DCF employees on Feb. 9 requested Polk County deputies to respond to their co-worker’s home because of health and safety concerns inside, a probable cause arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime says. A deputy noted the outside of the home had overgrown grass and trash strewn about the property.
“The interior of the home was deplorable — to include moldy furniture, stagnant water, sharps on the floor, junk/debris, and piles of dog feces,” the affidavit said.
There were also knives on the floor, and the smell of dog urine “was pungent throughout the residence,” deputies wrote. The kitchen counters, sink and stove were all covered with various items.
The Whites and two kids, a 7-year-old and a 7-month-old, lived inside the home along with four dogs and another who stayed outside.
Tawnya White, who worked for Florida’s Department of Children and Families for 13 years, and her husband Devin White were arrested for neglecting their own kids after Polk County home found in “deplorable” conditions on Feb. 9, 2024. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
Tawnya White told deputies she was trying to clean the house but her husband had previously been in a car accident he is unable to help so things continued to get worse. She said the 7-year-old does not leave the master bedroom unless being carried outside, the affidavit said. Deputies also said the 7-month-old’s development may be delayed because he is in a bassinet all day since it’s unsafe for him to move around the house.
Devin White also said he’s unable to clean the home because of the car accident and he and his wife confine the children to the master bedroom where it’s not as dirty.
Polk County Fire Rescue conducted an air quality test that reportedly revealed ammonia levels were nearly above OSHA standards for an 8-hour work day — and that was after the door had been open for nearly an hour to allow fresh air inside the home.
DCF workers told Polk deputies they had been trying to get into the home since Jan. 21, but the Whites had not allowed them to do so until they got a court order.
“This fact shows that the suspects have also have had 19 days to clean the residence since first contact with DCF and yet the condition of the residence remains unhealthy and unsafe for the victims,” the affidavit said.
DCF told deputies that it fired Tawnya White after seeing the conditions of the home. A DCF spokesman told Law&Crime that it was working on a statement.
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