LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Clermont man accused of keeping a boy in an insect-infested home full of feces and more than a dozen cats is facing a child abuse charge, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Mark Cameron, 31, left a child in a home filled with maggots, flies, cockroaches, fleas and several sick and malnourished cats, the report said. Detectives said cockroaches and flies were seen crawling up Cameron's pants when law enforcement went to his Clermont home on Sept. 10.
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Upon arrival, officers said they had to keep their eyes and mouths shut in order to prevent flies from flying into their faces.
The child victim who lives at the home said he was whipped with a belt for trying to clean up the maggot-infested cat feces on the floor, according to the affidavit. The child also said in the report that Cameron "beats him up" and punches him.
Animal Control removed 15 cats and one dead cat, and more cats escaped the house through holes in the wall, according to the report. Despite Cameron saying he was attempting to clean up the house, deputies said they saw no cleaning supplies or cat litter.
No working bathtub or area to shower was found in the bathroom, and the kitchen included more live cockroaches and dirty dishes along with a broken stove and refrigerator, according to the affidavit.
Authorities said they had to wear hazmat suits while investigating conditions inside the home.
Detectives said Cameron and the child victim slept in a bed that contained what appeared to be cat feces, cat urine and flea dust with a blanket that was caked with cat feces, urine and insects.
Cameron was not arrested until Saturday because authorities said they had to wait for him to be decontaminated.
He was charged with one count of child abuse and one count of child neglect. He is being held at the Lake County Jail on $15,000 bond.