3-year-old girl falls through floor; 10 apartments condemned

By Larry Hartstein and John Spink

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Clayton County has condemned 10 apartments after a 3-year-old girl fell through a bathroom floor into the crawl space underneath the building.

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John Spink, jspink@ajc.com Brandy Dowdell (left) and Byrone Perry (right) are faced with finding a new place to live after their apartment was condemned on Tuesday at the Harbour Towne apartments in College Park. Clayton County has condemned 10 apartments after a 3-year-old girl fell through a bathroom floor into the crawl space underneath the building.

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Family members lowered bed sheets through the hole, pulling the girl to safety. Firefighters checked the child for injuries and said she appeared to be fine. The Saturday afternoon incident at the Harbour Towne apartments near College Park prompted code enforcement officers to inspect the building, located at 5420 Riverdale Road.

They condemned 10 units, including five vacant ones. Residents complained about mice, mold and plumbing and electricity problems.

"They haven't really been maintaining the apartments," said resident Brandy Dowdell, who moved in a few months ago. "Nobody should live in an apartment with mice and stuff like that."

Resident Michael Barnes said he had seen the hole in the bathroom floor where the girl fell. "They should have taken care of that," he said. "It had to be weak for her to fall through."

Owner Robert Monday initially agreed to help tenants relocate but rescinded his promise, Clayton County police said. No one answered the phone at the apartment complex Wednesday morning.

Police said the 3-year-old's family moved into another apartment in the building.