Parents arrested after children found living in squalor

A man and woman were arrested Wednesday after Richmond County Sheriff's deputies discovered two children living in unsafe conditions.

Jessica Bradley, 27, and Joseph Hattaway, 28, were charged with deprivation of a minor. Deputies responded to a call from Augusta Richmond County Code Enforcement about a condemned residence on the 2000 block of Greenes Road. The residence was condemned due to multiple structural issues.

They reported that several adults and two children were living in deplorable conditions. Several windows were without panes, according to the incident report.

As deputies photographed the residence, they smelled a strong odor of urine and in certain areas a feline urine odor. Deputies also found three large Pit bulls inside the residence.

According to the incident report, the residence had holes in the ceiling and the inside was filthy. Deputies saw roaches crawling on the floor, in the sink and inside the refrigerator.

Upstairs, deputies discovered multiple space heaters, with at least one tipped over and laying on piles of clothing, creating a fire hazard. The Department of Family and Children Services were called to the scene.

A DFCS officer told Bradley and Hattaway they needed to take a drug test to determine whether they could keep the children . Hattaway told the officer that he wouldn't be able to pass the drug test because he had just used marijuana and methamphetamine, according to the report. Bradley said she had recently smoked marijuana.

The children – a boy and baby girl – were placed with a foster family, according to the report. Bradley argued with the DFCS officer about the level of care her children were receiving, but the officer reminded Bradley about numerous times her 7-year-old son's school had given him clothing to wear and complaints about him being dirty and smelling like urine.

Bradley is the mother of both children, while Hattaway is the father of the girll. Both are currently being held at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.

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