A woman in Florida was accused of child neglect after authorities learned that she was living with six unsupervised children in “unlivable” conditions.
Jamie Jakes was arrested in Tallahassee, Florida, and was charged with six counts of child neglect on Sunday, October 4.
Authorities learned of the situation when they saw a car swerve into a Pure Gas station around 3:10 a.m. on Sunday, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by People. At the time, the car narrowly missed a boy.
As the officers took the boy back to his home, they discovered three more children. Authorities said that two of the children were “wearing only soggy diapers,” and one was only in pants.
The officers then learned where the children lived and took them to the home, where they found three more children. The affidavit stated that none of them were wearing clothes, while they were all in one bed and were seemingly unsupervised. Once the children were reunited, police tried to find their clothes. However, they noted in the affidavit that the clothes were “wet and smelled of mildew.”
“As I entered the home, I found it unlivable,” an officer wrote in the affidavit. “In the living room, I found what appeared to be feces and urine on the floor.”
The officers claimed that they found used diapers, spoiled food and trash in each room, while the refrigerator was filled with bugs, spoiled liquid and freezer-burnt food.
One of the children told the officers that he and his siblings were left alone while Jakes, 29, went to the store two hours earlier. However, police believe that the children had been left alone since 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 3.
The boy also told the officers that he and his siblings sleep on the full-size mattress that the three children were found on in the primary bedroom.
Jakes eventually returned home around 6 a.m., and she was taken into custody. She allegedly told police that she paid a neighborhood friend $150 a week to watch the children from Thursday through Sunday. However, police said the friend denied that arrangement was real, per the affidavit.
Additionally, Jakes claimed her home was clean one day before the children were found, but police said that “the old feces and urine” found in the house “did not match that time frame.”
Police said that Jakes “willfully failed or omitted to provide the children with the care, supervision, and services necessary to maintain the children’s physical and mental health, including, but not limited to, food, nutrition, clothing, shelter, supervision, medicine, and medical services that a prudent person would consider essential for the well-being of the child,” per the affidavit.
It’s not currently clear if Jakes has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Tallahassee Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
