‘I didn’t think it was that bad’: Florida couple facing child neglect charges after kids found in ‘deplorable’ conditions
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida couple and three children were found living in “deplorable” conditions at their home after officers were dispatched to the home after the mother got into a verbal altercation with a neighbor.
Bushnell police arrived at the home and found Michelle Sofia, 38, her live-in boyfriend, Willie London, 41, and their three kids, ages 11, 12, and 17.
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During a walkthrough of the home, officers found “layers of dirt, piles of soiled clothing, layers of feces, and piles of rat droppings,” along with moldy food and bugs in two inoperable refrigerators, dirty dishes piled up with cockroaches walking in between the dishes, a toilet filled with what appeared to be feces with active flies, and bedrooms with no mattresses or sheets.
Deputies also said the home had no running water, but did have electricity.
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Sofia told deputies, “I didn’t think it was that bad,” when asked about her home’s condition and claimed to do her best to care for her kids.
London told deputies no one had showered in two days and that they would shower at a nearby county park or a friend’s home.
On Monday, police responded to their home after reports of a traffic crash involving their 11-year-old child who was riding a skateboard and allegedly hit by a car in the driveway and dragged underneath. The driver told police he did not hit the child, but the couple insisted he did. The child had no visible injuries, according to police.
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Surveillance footage provided by two neighbors at separate homes showed the vehicle stop before slowly backing up towards a driveway. As the child advanced toward the car, the vehicle stopped. The only contact between the child and the vehicle was went he kid touched the back of the car as they passed by.
When shown the video, the couple both reversed their claims of witnessing the crash.
Sofia and London were arrested and charged with three counts of child neglect and are being held at the Flagler County Inmate Facility on no bond. The Florida Department of Children and Family Services removed the children from the home.
The couple is facing additional charges for false reports to police.
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