Latest news with #Palatka
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Florida woman accused of leaving child, animals home alone while in Las Vegas, authorities say
A Florida woman was arrested Tuesday in Palatka, Florida, on charges of child neglect and animal cruelty, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office told CBS News affiliate Investigators said Jessica Copeland left a child alone for two weeks, along with several emaciated animals living in poor conditions, while she vacationed in Las Vegas. Deputies told the case began as an animal neglect investigation, but upon entering Copeland's home, they found the residence in disarray, with feces and urine throughout. Authorities told the TV station the child had been left without proper care during the entire time Copeland was away.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Child left alone with seven starving dogs in feces-covered Florida home after mom left for weeks to party in Las Vegas, authorities say
A Florida mother has been accused of leaving her child and seven dogs home alone in 'vile' conditions for two weeks as she celebrated her birthday in Las Vegas, cops say. Jessica Copeland, 37, from the town of Palatka, located 60 miles south of Jacksonville, was arrested Tuesday on child neglect and animal abuse charges after a family member alerted authorities about the alleged squalor. Deputies from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office arrived at the property Monday and said they found a teenage boy and seven 'severely neglected' dogs, the department said in a statement. Upon entering the home, deputies said they waded through the 'vile living conditions,' which included 'layers of animal feces on the floor, garbage and debris littered throughout, and several emaciated dogs without food and water.' Deputies found two of the dogs locked in a bedroom covered in 'four inches of feces' without food or water. Another of the animals was uncovered in a cage, and four more were in the living room, surrounded by more feces. Copeland's son reportedly told deputies that the house had been in a similar state for years because his mother 'refuses to clean.' Pictures released by the PTCO appeared to show feces-covered carpets, filthy items piled high all over the living room, and several large holes in the wall. In one photo, a Christmas tree remained standing, tilted at an angle against the wall. Several images showed extremely emaciated dogs with protruding ribs and visible signs of malnourishment, along with a filthy cage. The child also told deputies that his mother left for Las Vegas on July 21, which investigators believe was to celebrate her birthday. Copeland returned from her vacation to find deputies at the residence on Tuesday morning, assisting animal control in removing the dogs. On Wednesday, the sheriff's office shared bodycam footage of the arrest. 'The house is deplorable,' a deputy said as he confronted Copeland. 'I just got home from vacation,' she responded. 'This isn't just from two weeks,' the law enforcement officer said. 'The dogs are completely emaciated and at the point that they're being starved to death.' Copeland was charged with one count of child neglect, three counts of felony animal neglect, and four counts of misdemeanor animal neglect, online jail records show. She is being held at the Putnam County Jail on $36,500 bond. 'The depravity of this situation is both heartbreaking and infuriating,' Sheriff HD DeLoach said in a statement Wednesday. 'A mother made the conscious choice to abandon her own child in a filth-ridden home, surrounded by the stench of animal feces and suffering of neglected animals while she indulged on a two-week birthday trip to Las Vegas.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Florida woman leaves teen, 7 dogs home alone to go on Vegas vacation: police
A Florida woman is behind bars after she left her teenager and seven dogs in "vile living conditions" to go on a two-week-long Las Vegas vacation, according to police. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office arrested Jessica Copeland, 37, on Tuesday on charges of child and animal neglect following calls from family members concerned about the teen and the dogs. The first call came on Monday when an out-of-state family member called Putnam County deputies to ask for a welfare check on a teenager in Palatka, Florida, the agency said. When deputies went to the home, an adult was outside and told them he was "cleaning" before Copeland returned home. The teen then came outside and said "there were no issues and everything was fine," according to the sheriff's office, so the deputies left. Florida Woman Charged With Child Neglect After Leaving 2 Children In Sweltering Vehicle Another family member called the sheriff's office that same day to report that he had video of dogs inside the home being abused and agreed to meet with deputies to show it to them. In the video, there were three "severely emaciated dogs," the PCSO said. Read On The Fox News App That same family member also told deputies he did not think there was food or running water in the house – information that was not given during the initial call, according to the agency. Deputies went back to the home with PCSO's agriculture detective and were let inside by the teenager. The adult who was at the home before was no longer there. Inside the home, deputies came across "vile living conditions," including layers of animal feces, garbage and debris all throughout the home, and multiple emaciated dogs without food or water. The teenager told law enforcement that Copeland left on July 21 for Las Vegas and "different people would come to the house to check on him and bring him food," the agency said. The age of the teenager was not revealed. Foster Mom Accused Of Exchanging Child For Exotic Animal In Bizarre Trade Deputies also found seven dogs inside the residence. "Two dogs were locked in a bedroom covered in about 4 inches of feces with no food or water. A third dog was in a cage with no food or water and was severely emaciated. Four more dogs were in the living room surrounded by feces and did not have adequate food or water," the sheriff's office said, adding that there were water bowls in the living room, but they had insects floating in them. The teen allegedly told law enforcement that the home had been in this condition for years because Copeland kept it that way and refused to clean it. Putnam County Sheriff H.D. DeLoach said the situation was "both heartbreaking and infuriating." "A mother made the conscious choice to abandon her own child in a filth-ridden home, surrounded by the stench of animal feces and suffering of neglected animals while she indulged on a two-week birthday trip to Las Vegas," he said. "This wasn't neglect. This was deliberate cruelty, both to her child and to the animals she left behind." Ohio Mom Gets Life Sentence After Her Child Died While Being Left Home Alone During 10-Day Vacation When deputies were at the home on Tuesday morning assisting animal control with removing the dogs from the home, Copeland returned to the residence and was quickly arrested. Bodycam footage released by the agency showed no resistance from Copeland when they informed her that her house was in a "deplorable" condition and that she had animals on the brink of being starved to death. She was quickly put in handcuffs and taken into custody. "She is now on extended vacation at the Putnam County Jail," the sheriff's office said. Her charges include one count of child neglect, three counts of felony animal neglect and four counts of misdemeanor animal neglect, and her bond is set at $36,000. "Let me be clear, our community will not tolerate this level of selfish disregard for human and animal life. She now has time for reflection," DeLoach said. The dogs were voluntarily surrendered to the county and will be up for adoption once they are article source: Florida woman leaves teen, 7 dogs home alone to go on Vegas vacation: police Solve the daily Crossword
