A Cobb County couple are accused of allowing three children to live in a filthy home for at least five months, according to police.
Michael Paul Bell, 42, and Heidi Leigh Roberts, 34, were arrested Thursday when they were found unconscious in bed next to a bag containing suspected methamphetamine, a glass pipe and two syringes, their arrest warrants state. Both were charged with possession of meth.
But conditions inside the home near Powder Springs led to additional charges, according to Cobb police. An 8-year-old boy, a 3-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy also lived in the home in filthy conditions, police said.
The children lived among “multiple piles of garbage, drug paraphernalia, needles, pipes, and bugs,” arrest warrants state. Bell is also accused of striking the younger boy.
“Said accused also did punch said child in the stomach for defecating in his pants instead of in a toilet,” his warrant states.
In addition to the drug charge, Bell and Roberts were each charged with three counts of cruelty to children in the second degree. Both were booked into the Cobb County jail.
On Saturday, Roberts was released on $5,500 bond, jail records show. Bell was being held without bond Monday afternoon. According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Bell served prison time following a drug conviction in Gwinnett County.
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