Latoya Francis

Name:
Francis, Latoya Sabrina

Date of Booking:
09/11/2024

Reason(s) For Booking:
Cruelty to Children 1st Degree

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.]

On August 20th, 2024, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T. Team held a briefing at 0730 hours for the location of [2600 BLOCK] Country Trace, Unit [REDACTED], Conyers, Georgia 30013. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]

[SECTION REDACTED BY AGENCY]

[REDACTED BY AGENCY] several persons were inside the structure. The oldest was the property owner, Latoya Sabrina Francis. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]

[REDACTED BY AGENCY] upon immediate entrance into the home, an overwhelming odor was present. On the residence’s first floor, an alarming number of live cockroaches crawled about the walls, floors, and ceiling. Flying insects were so numerous throughout the house that they became distracting during the initial search. The flooring of the home was matted and highly sticky.

As I progressed through the home, a medium-sized aquarium had become molded with dark brown water, a large trash bag, approximately a 55-gallon bag, was observed near the home’s rear door, and two large litter boxes were caked with cat feces. The feces had been present in the boxes so long that they had begun to mold, possibly the cause for the overwhelming odor.

As we cleared the first floor, we entered the kitchen area, which contained numerous live roaches crawling along the counters, fridge, and other dry-storage food items. Down the hallway, we found a laundry area, a water heater area, and what could be called the main bedroom. The laundry room area was missing sliding doors, and a large black bag was on top of the washer and dryers. Immediately to the right was the small room that housed the water heater. This door was also damaged, and the sliding doors from the laundry room were propped up inside this area. The water heater was exposed, and it was visually a dangerous area for small children.

A small linen closet was also observed, which, when opened, caused a swarm of live cockroaches to scatter. The door jam of this linen closet has housed cockroaches for so long that the door frame and door itself have turned brown from what could be assumed as cockroach feces. The linen inside this closet was disgusting.

I moved to the primary bedroom, the cleanest room in the home. The bathroom appeared in good working order, the shower area was decently kept, and someone worked diligently to maintain the area despite the conditions of the remainder of the home.

As we moved upstairs, the entire railing of the stairwell had been broken. Many “posts” or “legs” had been broken off, and pieces lay about. Nails held some of it together, but the rail was highly wobbly and a severe danger for adults or small children. The carpet on the stairwell was highly stained, matted, and reeked of odor. Due to its condition, some portions of the carpet appeared molded and almost slick. Progressing up the stairwell and in the “eves” of the second floor were large mounds of cockroaches crawling upon themselves.

At the top of the stairwell, an additional bathroom was located. This bathroom was much different than the first. The sink had been filled with dirty brown water, and the toilet was closed and contained what appeared to be old human feces when lifted. It was apparent, and tested, that the water did not work in this bathroom. Immediately left to the bathroom was a bedroom that housed a male detained about this search warrant. This room’s conditions were similar to the remainder of the home. The carpet was pungent, cockroaches swarmed the floor and walls, and a mattress was observed on the floor, almost conjoined with the floor due to the growth of mold and filth on the floor.

We encountered two small children across the hallway and to the right of the stairwell. One of them would later be identified as [REDACTED BY AGENCY] ([REDACTED BY AGENCY] 2018), a six-year-old girl who Latoya Francis described as nonverbal and autistic. The second is a one-year-old infant identified as [REDACTED BY AGENCY] ([REDACTED BY AGENCY] 2023). Both children were lying on a mattress on the floor. The sheets were tan, gray, and white but so dirty that they were nearly brown. The same live insects were located in the room. The floor was covered in trash and dirty clothing. A dirty diaper containing cockroaches was also located.

A window that housed a window unit-type air conditioner was also located in this room. The window was opened to accept the window unit, and the screen used to close the open portion of the window was torn, exposing the outside elements-a prominent fall danger area for an autistic child or minor infant. A mound of trash, bugs, and molded carpet was under the bed. Cockroach feces caked most of the items inside of the room. This room was that of the two female children based on children’s toys and crayon drawings along the walls.

It is important to note that most lighting did not work in the home. Not because there was no power supplied to the home but because most of the lightbulbs had been blown and appeared to have been for quite some time. (Note: The children were removed from the house once the conditions of their bedroom have been observed).

[REDACTED BY AGENCY] I opened the fridge and freezer door but could not locate anything. However, the freezer and fridge were caked with the same insect feces as observed on numerous doorways and walls throughout the home.

Based on this discovery and the conditions for these children, I immediately contacted Rockdale County Emergency Communications to put me in touch with Rockdale County Code Enforcement and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (D.F.A.C.S.). Captain Hooks and Lieutenant Blevins would arrive a short time later. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]

[SECTION REDACTED BY AGENCY]

Based on the home conditions, I will secure warrants for Latoya Francis for cruelty to Children. I did not arrest her on the scene because she had small children and no family nearby for the children to reside. I informed Latoya that she would likely be charged for the conditions of her home.

[SECTION REDACTED BY AGENCY]

Per OCGA 16-5-70, Cruelty To Children (1st Degree):

A parent, guardian, or other person supervising the welfare of or having immediate charge or custody of a child under the age of 18 commits the offense of cruelty to children in the first degree when such person willfully deprives the child of necessary sustenance to the extent that the child’s health or well-being is jeopardized. The conditions of this home and Latoya’s willful deprivation of the children who reside in the house are in such a manner that jeopardizes the children’s health and well-being.

[End of Narrative]