Two Gwinnett County parents were arrested Friday after their two teenage boys were found living in deplorable conditions that included feces and cockroaches, according to Snellville police.
Investigators were called to the Pharrs Road home on a report regarding more than a dozen cats, Detective Orlando Concepcion told Channel 2 Action News. Inside the home, officers were shocked at the family’s living conditions, Concepcion said.
“You could see just roaches and flies just all over the place,” Concepcion said. “When you’re walking through the house it just hits you in the face.”
In the kitchen, officers found roaches on counters and floors, along with other insects, the police report states. Cat feces was throughout the home and the toilets could not be flushed, the report states.
“There was no working air conditioner unit and the family managed to function with window fans,” the report states. “So with the combination of feces and hot air, the smell was unbearable.”
The home, which has been condemned, has running water and electricity, but no working toilets, according to police. Two boys who lived in the home, ages 15 and 17, appeared healthy and were attending school, police said. Both teens were removed from the home and are now with relatives, Concepcion said.
Eleven cats were also removed from the home, although others remained outside, police said.
The parents, Gregory and Jacqueline Tate, were both arrested and charged with cruelty to children. They were being held Tuesday night on $5,700 bond each at the Gwinnett County jail.
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