Forsyth couple released on bond, ordered to clean house

Print
E-mail

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Forsyth County couple charged with second-degree cruelty to children after deputies found a decaying opossum, piles of feces and rotting food in their upscale Lake Lanier home were released on bond Wednesday.

Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Robert Lancaster has been charged with second-degree cruelty to children.

Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Laura Lancaster, of Walnut Cove Court in Gainesville, has been arrested and charged with second-degree cruelty to children.

Forsyth teen dies at sleepover

More Atlanta area news »

Robert and Laura Lancaster were told they must clean up their home before the court considers allowing their two juvenile children to move back in.

The "deplorable conditions" inside the Walnut Cove Court residence were uncovered as investigators searched for clues in the death of 15-year-old Trey Scott Spencer, a friend of the Lancaster's 14-year-old son.

The North Forsyth High School student was found unresponsive Monday morning in the Lancaster's backyard after a night of partying, his friend said. The 14-year-old told investigators they had smoked pot, drank bourbon, ingested prescription medication and huffed dust cleaner the night before he died, according to the sheriff's office incident report.

An autopsy is being performed on Spencer by the GBI Crime Lab.

The charges against the Lancasters were unrelated to the teen's death, said the Forsyth sheriff's office. The couple had returned home from St. Simons earlier Monday morning unaware that Spencer was laying unresponsive in their backyard.

Bond was set at $27,5000 each for the Lancasters and a court-sanctioned overseer will inspect their home before a judge will consider allowing the kids to return.

The Lancasters' attorney had no explanation for the condition of the home. According to a warrant, the walls in the house were covered with mold and mildew growth, dirty clothes were piled on the floor and the air was thick with insects.

The couple, who have two other children currently attending college, will have their initial hearing Dec. 15.