A Stone Mountain couple were arrested Wednesday after allegedly locking two children in their basement for hours and feeding them only once a day for nearly 11 months, authorities said.
Tamara Raychell McGowan, 38, and her boyfriend Thomas Charles Young, 42, are accused of locking the kids in the basement of their home in the 700 block of North Hairston Road between June 2017 and April 2018, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Channel 2 Action News reported McGowan is the two kids’ mother, and they were only fed noodles once a day, according to court documents.
The two also allegedly exposed the kids to drug use and sexual activity, and they attempted to have the children participate, the release said.
The couple were arrested while sleeping in a vehicle in a Walmart parking lot, the release said.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
They’re both charged with first-degree child cruelty for depriving necessary sustenance, first-degree child cruelty for excessive physical or mental pain and second-degree child cruelty for excessive physical or mental pain, according to DeKalb County Jail records.
Young faces an additional charge of criminal attempted sodomy, and McGowan faces simple assault charges, jail records show. They were both denied bond.
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