POLITICS: Couple Arrested After Toddler and 81-Year-Old Found Living in Putrid, Bug-Infested Home – USSA News

A Florida couple is facing serious criminal charges after investigators say they left a toddler and an elderly family member living in horrifying, unsanitary conditions inside a roach-infested apartment reeking of urine, feces, and decay.

Nikolas Anthony Cummings, 32, and Tashaye Driaunah Brown, 31, were arrested this week and charged with cruelty toward a child without great bodily harm and neglect of an elderly or disabled adult with great bodily harm, according to court records.

The disturbing case came to light after Flagler County Fire Rescue responded to a welfare check request for an 81-year-old man Tuesday at a residence on Westmoreland Drive in Palm Coast. Responders immediately noticed the apartment was covered in garbage, cockroach droppings, and sticky, filthy surfaces.

When emergency crews located the elderly man, conditions only worsened.

According to a probable cause affidavit, insects crawled out of the man’s mattress and clothing as responders tried to assist him. The mattress itself appeared to have been repeatedly urinated and defecated on, with widespread stains covering nearly the entire surface. Pillowcases were described as discolored with brown and orange stains.

As first responders worked with the man, they realized a second victim was inside the home — a child believed to be under 2 years old. That discovery prompted them to call in the sheriff’s office.

Deputies arriving on scene were hit with what they described as a strong, pungent odor throughout the apartment. Piles of debris, garbage, and food scraps filled the living room and extended into other areas of the home.

After maneuvering through the clutter, deputies found a 1-year-old child sleeping in a Pack ’n Play in the living room. Roaches and bugs were reportedly crawling over the child as he slept.

When Brown was asked to show deputies the child’s food, she led them to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Inside, deputies said they saw mold growing throughout the fridge and on clearly expired food.

The situation didn’t improve the following day.

Detectives returned to the home and found the child still sleeping in the same enclosure, with multiple cockroaches inside. Investigators also learned how Brown allegedly attempted to deal with the infestation.

According to the affidavit, Brown told detectives she sprays Raid roach spray around the home. Each night, she allegedly flips the child’s enclosure upside down to shake insects out, places the child back inside, and sprays a tight “protective” circle of insecticide around the base.

Detectives noted the hazardous ingredients in the spray and said they repeatedly removed insects from the child’s enclosure, only to see more bugs continuously emerge from the fabric.

Throughout the home, investigators observed black spots believed to be cockroach droppings, mold, or a combination of both.

Conditions were especially grim inside the elderly man’s bedroom. Detectives reported an overpowering stench of urine and found the man alert but unable to reach a portable toilet just a few feet away. He told officers he had not been able to change his clothes in about a week.

While speaking with him, insects were reportedly seen crawling out of his socks and from scabs on his legs.

Cummings and Brown were arrested and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where they were held on a $15,000 bond as of Friday.

Rick Staly condemned the conditions in a blistering statement, saying the home was no place for a toddler or a senior with serious medical needs. He added that the pair showed no concern for hygiene, medical care, or the welfare of those depending on them.

Brown and Cummings are scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Feb. 4, according to court records.