Latest news with #PutnamCountySheriff
CBS News
5 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
5 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.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Florida mom charged with child and animal neglect after Vegas vacation
A Florida mother was arrested upon returning home from her two-week vacation to Las Vegas after deputies learned she left a teenager and seven dogs in "vile living conditions." (VIDEO: Putnam County Sheriff's Office)
The Independent
10-06-2025
- The Independent
Dog attacks on USPS workers have reached a seven-year high. And one region is leading the way
The cliché that dogs and postal workers are sworn enemies has been proven by USPS data showing dog attacks on its employees have reached a seven-year high, with the Midwest leading the way. Last year more than 6,000 dog attacks on mail carriers were reported to the Postal Service, the USPS announced last month, ahead of its National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign. The rate of dog attacks hasn't been this high since 2017, NBC News reported, citing USPS data. Attacks have increased 5 percent since 2023 and 15 percent from 2022. In 2024, there were an average of about five dog attacks per 100,000 households in the Midwest. The states with the highest rate of dog attacks were Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. There are bound to be clashes between postal workers and pets, with 49 million American households owning dogs, according to Census Bureau data from 2021. There are more than 326,000 mail carriers in the U.S., according to 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In 2022, a Florida postal worker Pamela Jane Rock, 61, died after being attacked by five dogs, according to local officials. "One neighbor brought his firearm along and fired several shots in the air in an attempt to disrupt the attack," Joseph Wells with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said at the time, according to NBC News. But Wells said that tactic was 'unsuccessful,' and Rock ended up dying at a hospital a day later. On Monday, a 48-year-old mail carrier in Connecticut was hospitalized after being attacked by a dog, the Hartford Courant reported, citing local police. Middletown Police Chief Erik Costa said the postal worker was bitten on his left thigh, left wrist, right forearm, lower abdomen and the back of his head. USPS spokesperson David Coleman called the rise in dog attacks a 'real problem,' in a statement to NBC News. 'Dogs are animals, they act instinctively and can bite for any number of reasons. All it takes is just one wrong interaction/movement for our carriers to be injured,' he said. Coleman advised dog owners to be responsible with their pets: 'Teach your dog appropriate behavior and commands and don't allow a dog to roam freely.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Putnam County student arrested after allegedly bringing ‘what is believed to be' a THC vape to school
PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A high school student faces multiple charges after bringing 'what is believed to be' a THC vape to school and sharing the vape with his classmates, who then 'had apparent signs of an overdose,' according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. The PCSO said in a Friday press release that the Upperman High School student obtained 'what is believed to be' a THC vape device and took it to school before sharing it with the same two students that 'suffered from the apparent overdose issues' that sent them to the hospital. Both minors were being treated at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, but one of the affected students was transported via helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center due to the severity of their illness, officials said. 'The safety and health of our children is our top priority. I urge parents and guardians to talk to your children about the consequences and dangers of vaping these unknown products,' Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris said in a press release. ⏩ Detectives were reportedly able to recover the vape device; it will be sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for testing. The teen who brought the device to the school was taken into custody and charged with reckless endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to authorities. As of publication, he is in custody at the Putnam County Juvenile Detention Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
