PORT ST. LUCIE − A 41-year-old woman was jailed after police reported her home was in poor condition, including waste products “throughout the house” and maggots and fleas in the refrigerator, as children were there, according to an affidavit.
Shannon Krick was arrested at 9:30 p.m. June 30 on two felony counts of neglecting a child without great bodily harm and three misdemeanor counts of confining animals without sufficient food or water, an affidavit states.
Krick, whose address was redacted, was held July 2 in the St. Lucie County Jail on $33,000 bond, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Police went to the scene after a person indicated two children came to her home, with one asking to charge her phone because their power was shut off.
The children were identified as a 12-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, according to Sgt. Dominick Mesiti, police spokesperson.
Police went to the home where the children live and spoke to Krick, who said the children were in their room. The children, however, were not in their room.
Krick then told police she didn’t know where the children were, and police told her they were with a neighbor.
Police reported the home lacked electricity, and Krick said it had been without electricity for a week. An officer saw a dog and two cats in the home “with feces and urine throughout the house,” an affidavit states. No food was in the refrigerator, which was off because of no electricity.
Both bathrooms had mold and urine on the floor, and “limited canned food” was in a storage room.
“The house was in disarray, and I observed roaches and insects in the kids’ bedroom,” an affidavit states.
Krick said the kids slept in the living room because there was a fan. She said they had eaten during lunch time, and an hour before investigators arrived. An animal control official saw no food or water for the animals.
Krick denied drinking, though officers reported smelling alcohol.
Police stated Krick’s husband was arrested June 29 by the Florida Highway Patrol on failure to appear in court and unrelated charges.
Mesiti said the two children left in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Kids reported living in home lacking electricity with waste products ‘throughout’
Reporting by Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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