(DOUGLASVILLE, Ga) — A Georgia couple is now behind bars after allegedly leaving a 3-year-old alone in a backyard shed for weeks, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Sarah Elizabeth Pombert, 34, and Joseph Matthew Turner, 35, were arrested on Monday after allegedly keeping 3-year-old Bjorn Turner in a backyard shed in Douglasville, Georgia, from May 1 to May 22, according to an arrest warrant obtained by ABC News on Friday.
The shed was described as a “dirty living space” that did not have running water or electricity, according to the warrant.
The suspects allegedly left the child “unsupervised, unbathed and unclothed with criminal negligence,” according to the warrant.
The two were arrested for second-degree child cruelty and are currently being held in the Douglas County Jail, according to jail records.
Neither Pombert nor Turner has a defense attorney listed as of Friday, according to court records.
One of the couple’s neighbors, Matthew Govoni, told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB that the shed burned down during Memorial Day weekend, but officials have not disclosed how they became aware of the child living there.
The Douglas County Fire Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Govoni told WSB that Pombert and Turner have lived in their home for more than a decade and was “not surprised” to hear about the child’s living conditions due to “the lifestyle they live.”
“I’m saddened for them and the child, but I mean, for the child, I hope they can get to a place where they can be helped,” Govoni told WSB.
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