KINGSLAND, Ga. – A man and woman in Camden County are facing felony charges of cruelty to children after investigators determined the children had been subjected to unfit living conditions.
According to an arrest warrant, animal control officers were called to Berry Street in Kingsland in reference to animals and suspicious activity. They’d received a complaint about multiple animals loose, as well as a report that two teenage or younger children were living in a shed at the back of the property.
When Camden County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to assist, the warrant said, a shed and small camper were found at the side of the house. The warrant stated that a small Rottweiler puppy was found loose in the driveway, and several other dogs were seen barking in the window.
After making contact with the homeowner, deputies opened the shed, where they noted an “extremely strong odor of animal feces and urine. Multiple cats and dogs were inside the shed in various states of health,” the report said. It also said two beds with scattered blankets and pillows were in the shed, both covered in animal feces.
Deputies then looked in the camper, where they found six cats, seven dogs, five ferrets and two ball pythons, the warrant said. It stated the floor and bed in the camper were also covered in animal feces.
The homeowners, the warrant said, stated that had tried to get their son and his fiancée to clean up their living conditions and remove some if not all of the animals, saying they wouldn’t allow them to live inside the residence. The warrant said both filled out statement forms to the fact that the children had been sleeping and staying in the shed.
The warrant stated that Roger Pate II and Ashley Adams were both placed under arrest for cruelty to children in the first degree.