FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A Palm Coast couple was arrested this week after a welfare check revealed “deplorable” living conditions inside their home, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
In a release, deputies said that a member of Flagler County Fire Rescue asked for a welfare check after helping an elderly man at a home in the W-section of Palm Coast.
According to investigators, the FCFR member noticed bedding that was heavily soiled with feces and urine, as well as live cockroaches, droppings, and garbage scattered throughout the home.
Deputies said they then responded to the residence, and after the welfare check was completed, they reached out to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
“Inside the residence, Major Case Unit detectives immediately observed a pungent odor of urine emanating from the home, as well as spoiled food and feces scattered throughout,” the release reads.
But while speaking with Tashaye Brown, 31, about the condition of the home, detectives said they observed an infant inside a Pack ‘n Play that was infested with cockroaches.
Brown told detectives that she was aware of the infestation, but it was too expensive to hire a professional, deputies added.
“As such, she would turn the Pack ‘n Play upside down and shake the insects out, place the infant back inside, and then spray a circle of cockroach insecticide around the base of the Pack ‘n Play,” the release continues.
Furthermore, investigators said they found black spots along open electrical outlets that appeared to be roach droppings, as well as black spots along the walls and ceilings, and mold around the HVAC system vents.
[BELOW: Body-camera footage shows Brown’s arrest in Palm Coast]
Detectives also said they spoke with an elderly man, who explained that he’d just returned home from the hospital and that a nurse who used to come to this home to “address his medical needs” no longer works there, and he doesn’t know who is supposed to help him.
“The elderly man — who was unable to walk, feed or change himself, or take his medication without assistance — had scabs on his legs and insects emerging from his socks," the release notes.
Brown reportedly told investigators that she and her fiancé, 32-year-old Nikolas Cummings, had moved into the home about two years ago to care for the elderly man, as her cousin was unable to care for him.
Meanwhile, Cummings told investigators that he and Brown were the elderly man’s sole providers and caretakers, deputies said.
“Upon completion of their investigation, detectives determined that the elderly victim’s son was not mentally or physically capable of caring for him and that Brown and Cummings were the sole responsible parties for the elderly victim’s care, and that they showed willful disregard for the care of both victims,” deputies explained.
[BELOW: Body-camera footage shows Cummings’ arrest in Palm Coast]
As a result, both Cummings and Brown were taken into custody on charges of child neglect without great bodily harm and neglect of an elderly/disabled adult without great bodily harm. They are held on a $15,000 bond.
After the arrests, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly issued the following statement:
“The deplorable conditions of that house were no place for a toddler or a senior with serious medical issues. These two feigned ignorance over the trash, feces and insects covering the floors, walls and victims inside their home.
This was not a matter of money; they did not care about the hygiene of their home, the welfare of their child, or the medical needs of their family members. They put in zero effort.
We will make sure their cells are clean at the Green Roof Inn.”
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly