Five women were arrested in Victorville on Thursday after authorities found 20 children and 20 dogs in a home they described as “uninhabitable.”
Police were called to assist the Department of Children and Family Services to remove the children, who ranged in age from 2 1/s months to 17 years old, from the home, reports the LA Times. Animal Control was brought in to take the dogs, two of which were dead. The dogs had no access to water and there was insufficient food for the 20 children. The home was also full of black mold.
The statement from the San Bernardino County sheriff’s office offers additional horrific details:
“The home was found to be uninhabitable, with several serious health and safety issues. There was an insufficient amount of food in the home for the five adults and 20 children living there. The sleeping conditions were inadequate, there was no electricity or gas, and the carpet, walls, and furniture were in severe disrepair.”
The five women arrested were Matosha Martinez, 35; Cherish Lewis, 22; Dajanet Smith, 25; Thereca Griffin, 42; and Virginia Mann, 61.
All of them were arrested on child cruelty charges, with Martinez and Mann additionally charged with suspicion of being under a controlled substance.
