WHAT is going on in South Carolina????? The other woman who's kid had maggots in it's diaper was from SC as well.
http://www.live5news.com/story/16918281/kids-in-protective-custody-after-months-without-a-bath
Kids in protective custody after months without a bath
JoAnne Kuppart, 54, has been charged with Unlawful Neglect (Source: J. Reuben Long Detention Center)
Jean Martell, 34, has been charged with Unlawful Neglect (Source: J. Reuben Long Detention Center)
HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) Two Horry County women have found themselves behind bars facing child neglect charges after a social worker with the Department of Social Services told police their home had no running water.
In a police report obtained by WMBF News, a DSS social worker told police he had visited a home outside of Conway twice before, warning the two adult females living in the home with children that they must have running water to provide a healthy living environment.
Officers accompanied the social worker on his third visit to the residence on Friday following complainants from a third party that children in the home were 'dirty and smelly.'
Walking through the home together, officers and the social worker observed that the home still had no running water. The two adults who lived in the home told the social work on his last visit two weeks prior they were working to get the water back on as soon as possible.
According to the police report, the children in the home had been without running water for at least 12 straight days. The odor of the home was described as 'overwhelming.'
The report states that every surface was covered in trash, dirty dishes and clothes, and there was moldy food on the kitchen counter. The home had a total of three bathrooms, all of which were overflowing with human waste.
The report further stated that the bathroom surfaces were covered in filth.
Full and empty water jugs were found throughout the residence that the juvenile victims and adults were allegedly using to wash their dishes and themselves.
When asked when they last had a bath, one of the victims responded, "I don't remember, but I think December." Officers also noticed that the child was sick, and was being self-medicated with cough drops.
The officers on scene took the children living in the home into Emergency Protective Custody.
A warrant was issued for the arrest of the two suspects, 36-year-old Jean Martell and 54-year-old JoAnne Kuppart of Conway, Saturday after the case was presented before a magistrate judge, who found probable cause to charge both with unlawful neglect.
According to J. Reuben Long Detention Center booking records, Martell and Kuppart were taken into custody shortly after 12 p.m. Saturday and charged with Unlawful Neglect Of Child Or Helpless Person By Legal Custodian. Bond was been set at $2,500.
Copyright 2012 WMBF News. All rights reserved
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Not saying it was right at all - but why couldn't all our wonderful services help these people out by providing the money to get the water back on?
I agree to an extent. However after doing a bit of research, it appears both of these ladies had access to the internet - and not via cell phone. They were playing games on FB that require internet connection. Now - maybe they were doing this at work. Either way - I'm skeptical that they were being good child providers since the officer commented on the sheer amount of filth in the home.
Just a word to this - I knew (and currently know) many folks without power or running water. Amish folks come to mind.
Most of them don't allow filth to accumulate - you can be desperately poor but at least provide a clean place for your children. If they were truly trying to care for those kids - they would have found a place to bathe them. AND THEN gone to Social Services or whereever for assistance.
Just my opinion though.
Quoting Not_A_Native:
Not saying it was right at all - but why couldn't all our wonderful services help these people out by providing the money to get the water back on?
It's really sad what some people will do to children. I worked in social services for many years and I once saw a house, in a major metropolitan city, where people were keeping chickens in their bathroom, so their children hadn't bathed in quite some time. The children also had head lice so bad that they had to be on antibiotics because they infected sores all over their heads from scratching so much. Obviously, those children were removed from the home.
omg, that's horrible.
Quoting butlerro1013:
It's really sad what some people will do to children. I worked in social services for many years and I once saw a house, in a major metropolitan city, where people were keeping chickens in their bathroom, so their children hadn't bathed in quite some time. The children also had head lice so bad that they had to be on antibiotics because they infected sores all over their heads from scratching so much. Obviously, those children were removed from the home.
My mom worked with a woman who didn't know you could get rid of headlice untill my sister got them and my mom told her about the ordeal she went through to make sure they were gone (my mom is OCD.) She was raised in a filthy home and had always had them. She was so happy. She actually treated herself and her kids, throwing away everything that had fabric and replacing her carpets. They didn't really have a lot for months (it took over a year to get back to normal) and my mom gave her kids some of our old clothes and stuff but she said she was happier living on lawn furniture and bean bag chairs than she had ever been in her life. She got rid of everything bc their house was so infested and she was excited to be rid of it. So yes people live this way, On the other hand many of our grandparents were dirt floor poor (mine for example) but were well taken care of. My grandmother hated the chickens bc she had to get well water for them and for her family. These woman have no excuse.
Nothing to debate, just a news item that came across my desk.
I agree you don't have to have running water in your house but the filth and excrement have no excuse. My girl scout leader had five kids and was very poor. She usually didn't have running water and the kids used the bathroom at the corner gas station. Her four boys slept on old mattresses in the 'living room' portion of the tiny house. It may not have been clean but there certainly wasn't any filth like in this article! I hope those kids got a long hot bath...
I'm surprised this made the news...CPS removes children from filthy homes with no water all the time.
The onlt thing that i object to is the comment that running water is required for healthy children. That is NOT so. sure it makes things easyer but there are ways arround it. Now that being said the amount of filt,like not flushing, is not excusable. If you cant get water then dig a hole outside for the nasties and void in the potty. We were out of water for a few days and my one trip into town i forgot about water for the tolit.....so we poured the water from cooking in it. THINK PEOPLE THINK
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on Feb. 16, 2012 at 10:33 AM