TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 15-year-old girl went to school in dirty clothes and cockroaches in her backpack on Tuesday, Volusia County deputies said.
School staff at University High School told authorities the 15-year-old came into school with roaches in her bag.
According to an arrest report, 37-year-old Samantha Ackers and her 36-year-old fiancé, Christopher Rounds had their home investigated after deputies were alerted.
That same day, deputies were dispatched to a residence in Deltona around 1:07 p.m. to investigate an alleged child abuse and neglect situation of four children, ages 16, 15, 10, and eight. The 15-year-old is a deaf and non-verbal teenager.
A Child Protective Investigator had previously investigated the home and reported the girl was slapped on the back of her shoulder blade by a male family member. They said she is profoundly deaf and only uses sign language to communicate, but no one in the home knows sign language.
The police report said there have been multiple reports to DCF regarding having chronic head lice, kicking the teen out of the house when she was in middle school, and going to school unclean.
“That’s very sad. That’s very very sad,” a neighbor told NBC affiliate WESH. “I’ve really never seen anything wrong with the kids, honestly,” a neighbor said. “And I live just across the street. I really don’t know what’s going in the house. I’ve never been in the house.”
In front of the home was over 200 cigarette butts, along with a large bucket completely full of butts.
Upon entry into the home, Deputy Autrey noticed a foul smell, trash all over the place, and the home infested with roaches, floors, and appliances covered in mold.
Feces covered the floor from two dogs that lived in the home.
The air conditioning was also not working and the temperature was 85 degrees in the house.
The children’s bedrooms were covered in trash, clothes, dirty sheets, and old food, preventing the doors from being completely opened. The rooms also had bugs crawling around.
Deputy Autrey determined the living conditions were not suitable for the kids.
Ackers and Rounds were arrested and charged with child neglect. Rounds was additionally charged with resisting an officer.
