A Powder Springs woman arrested for allegedly keeping her two young daughters in hot, filthy and roach-infested conditions was released from jail late Monday night.
Melissa Wituka, 22, was arrested last week and charged with two counts of second-degree cruelty to children.
According to an arrest warrant, police checking on the welfare of Wituka’s children found the girls, ages 3 and 4, “living in a state of filthy and unsanitary conditions which caused the children to suffer cruel and excessive physical and mental pain.”
The warrant said the apartment on Lynn Drive in Powder Springs had no electricity, air conditioning or fans, and when cabinets were opened, “roaches were crawling out and the odor from the house was strong with smells of rotting garbage, spoiled food and body odors.”
The warrant further claimed that the children were sleeping on a mattress that was filthy with urine and food stains. The children were wearing filthy clothing and were “filthy with old smearing of dirt from head to toe,” according to the warrant.
Family friend Marcus Arnold disputed officers’ claims, telling Channel 2 Action News that Wituka is “a damn good mother.”
Arnold told Channel 2 that Wituka had brought her daughters to the apartment to visit their grandmother and that she actually lives elsewhere.
However, Cobb County jail records list the Lynn Drive location as Wituka’s address.
Wituka was released from jail just before midnight Monday on $25,000 bond.
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