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Written by: E. George
Published June 1, 2023 @ 9:40 PM ET
Warning: The following story contains information regarding physical violence against/neglect of children.
HARLEM, Ga. – On May 12, 2023, a DFCS social worker arranged for a Columbia County Sheriff’s officer to escort her to a home for a household check based on an anonymous tip she received. As she suspected, the conditions of the house required the removal of the three small children who lived there with their mother.
Upon arrival at Sarah Grace Strickland‘s house, the officer noticed a large pile of garbage in the front yard and a piece of plywood along the staircase being used as a railing. After knocking on the broken storm door, Strickland answered and said that the home “was messy” and she had “just started cleaning.”
The officer walked in and saw three children sitting on the living room floor, “dirty from their face down to the bottom of their feet.” They wore only diapers that appeared to be full and “days old.”
Roaches, maggots, and ants crawled on every inch of the floor; however, the children appeared to be in good health, with no visible bites or injuries. Droves of roaches crawled out of large holes in the kitchen walls and on all of the countertops.
Strickland stated that the home had no oven or stove, so she cooked all meals in the microwave. They moved on to the children’s rooms.
The boys’ room door was broken and hanging off its hinges. They saw two mattresses on the floor with roaches crawling all over them. The girl’s room had one roach-covered mattress on the floor.
The DFCS social worker told Strickland the children needed to be placed elsewhere because the home was unsafe, and the suspect’s mother-in-law agreed to take custody. The social worker devised a parenting plan that Strickland signed and then followed her mother-in-law home to ensure the house’s suitability.
The officer spoke with Columbia County Code Enforcement and learned that Strickland’s house would most likely be condemned on Monday. Strickland was arrested on three counts of contributing to the delinquency/unruliness/deprivation of a minor and transported to Columbia County Detention Center.
Following her arrest, it was discovered that Strickland’s house sits in McDuffie County and not Columbia County. Her warrants were recalled, and the investigation was turned over to McDuffie County. This case is currently pending.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
I responded to the listed residence in reference to an escort with DFACS.
[REDACTED] is a social worker with DFACS. She stated she received an anonymous tip from a family member about the condition of the listed home. She requested a escort from deputies because there was a possibility she would have to remove three juveniles from the home.
I arrived on scene and observed a large pile of trash in the front yard. There was a large piece of plywood to the left of the staircase acting as a makeshift rail. The storm door to the residence appeared to be broken. I knocked on the door to the residence and a white female, later identified as Sarah Strickland, answered the door. I introduced myself and said I was there to accompany Mrs. [REDACTED] with DFACS on a welfare check of her children and to check the conditions of the home. As we were walking inside, she informed us that the residence was messy and she just started cleaning.
When I walked in the residence, I observed three juveniles sitting on the floor throughout the living room. The children were only wearing diapers that were full and appeared to be days old. Each child was visibly dirty from their face down to the bottom of their feet. There were roaches, ants and maggots crawling on each inch of the floor. The children did not have any visible injuries or bites and appeared to be in decent health.
There were large holes in the walls of the kitchen with large amounts of roaches crawling out of the holes. Sarah said the home does not have a stove or oven for her to cook on and she cooks food for the children in a microwave. All of the kitchen counters and countertops were also covered in roaches.
Mrs. [REDACTED] asked Sarah to see the children’s rooms. The female’s room had a mattress on the floor with roaches crawling on it. The door to the boy’s room was broken and hanging off the hinges. Inside of the room were two mattresses on the floor with roaches crawling all over them.
Mrs. [REDACTED] informed Sarah that the home was not safe for the children to live in and they needed to be placed elsewhere. Sarah’s mother in law, [REDACTED], responded and took custody of the children. Mrs. [REDACTED] said she was going to follow [REDACTED] to her home to make sure it was suitable for the children to live in. Mrs. [REDACTED] wrote up a parenting plan while on scene and Sarah acknowledged and signed it.
I spoke with Officer Scholl with Columbia County Code Enforcement via telephone. She was made aware of the situation and said they would respond to the house on Monday, and more than likely it will be condemned.
Sarah was placed in custody and transported to CCDC. I met with Magistrate Judge Hornsby and obtained three warrants for Contributing to the Deprivation of a Minor. The warrants were faxed to CCDC. Photos of the residence will be on the evidence drive under this report number.
After the arrest was made it was later discovered through GIS that the residence is in McDuffie County. I immediately contacted Judge Hornsby and explained the situation to her. She instructed me to contact the jail and have Sarah released immediately. I went to CCDC and explained the situation to SSgt Williamson. Deputy Marshall started Sarah’s release paperwork and Sarah called her mother to come pick her up.
I contacted Mrs. [REDACTED] and made her aware of the situation. I met with Judge Hornsby and signed the warrant so it could be recalled. I met with Sergeant Adkins with McDuffie County and explained the details of the case to her. She said they would open an investigation and look into it. This case is closed and turned over to McDuffie County.
[End of Narrative]
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