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A mother and her boyfriend are facing charges after three children were found living in a home full of bugs and covered in rat feces.
They’re also accused of faking a police report about a car crash.
Police said on Monday, a mother, 38-year-old Michelle Sofia, and her boyfriend, 41-year-old Willie London, claimed a car hit an 11-year-old child on Hymon Circle.
London told officers the child was dragged under the vehicle.
According to Bunnell police, the driver denied hitting the child, and the 11-year-old didn’t have visible injuries.
Police said surveillance videos from homes revealed the car, which was backing up in a driveway, stopped when the child approached on a skateboard and didn’t hit the 11-year-old.
Sofia admitted she didn’t witness the crash after detectives spoke with her about the surveillance video, Bunnell police said.
London allegedly continued to say the 11-year-old was dragged by the car.
Based on the investigation, Bunnell police said the incident appeared to be a false crash report.
Tuesday afternoon, police were called to Sofia’s Bunnell home for a trespassing report after Sofia and a neighbor allegedly started arguing.
Bunnell police said upon arrival at the home, three children, including a 12-year-old, 17-year-old and the 11-year-old that Sofia and London claimed was hit by a car Monday, were found in “deplorable” conditions.
In a news release, police said they found “Layers of dirt, piles of soiled clothing, layers of feces, and piles of rat droppings throughout the residence.”
Roaches and food with mold were also found at the residence, and there was no water running, according to Bunnell police.
“It’s sad, but it’s also infuriating,” said David Brannon, Bunnell Chief of Police. “You know, grown adults know that that’s not the conditions that children should be raised in.”
“It’s hard to describe in writing,” Brannon said. “The smell was just very bad and overwhelming to the officers, (the) smell of urine and feces.”
The children told police they shower either at the nearby county park or a friend’s home. All of them said it had been days since they bathed.
Police stated Sofia told a detective, “I didn’t think it was that bad.”
One neighbor WESH spoke with said she would let the children borrow her shower. She would also give them food and jugs of water.
“They would come over for aluminum foil, dish soap,” said resident Debora Lafreniere. “They would say, ‘Can my parents do a load of laundry?’ You know, it just went on and on and on. And I gave them cases of food.”
The Department of Children and Family Services removed the three children from the residence, Bunnell police said.
London and Sofia both face charges of three counts of child neglect and filing a false report to police.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call detectives with the Bunnell Police Department at 386-600-7954.
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Source: wesh
