Four adults charged with child neglect

Six children removed from campers due to 'deplorable' conditions

Two men and two women from Century were arrested Oct. 20 and charged with child neglect when deputies and an agent from the Department of Children and Family (DCF) observed what they described as deplorable and dangerous living conditions where the adults and six children were living.

Norman Tracy Tedder, 55, and wife Tabitha Rolin Tedder, 50, lived in a camper with three children.

Their son, Michael Tracy Tedder, 29, and wife Elizabeth Mae Dennis, 28, also lived in a camper with three children on the same property, according to an Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office report.

Law enforcement accompanied DCF Child Protective Investigator Tammy McKnight who was responding to the property for the second time. Deputies and McKnight were given permission to observe the living conditions.

The camper was extremely dirty and there was raw sewage coming from the backside of the camper and flowing underneath, causing an unbearable odor, the report said.

The camper floor, counters, cabinets, shower area and toilet were covered with roaches, running throughout. There were pots with food left in them sitting on the kitchen counter and dirty dishes in the sink. The refrigerator was nasty and there was burnt food all over the top of the stove, the report indicated.

Five people lived in one camper where the deputy observed one full size bed and a crib in one room for sleeping. Suspect Dennis told them she let down a table in the camper into a bed each night. There were roaches running on it also.

Besides the five people living in that camper, there were two dogs and two cats, the report said.

The deputy observed power cords lying in the floor of the camper next to the sink.

Dennis told the deputy they did not have a septic tank when he questioned her about the raw sewage underneath the camper, the report said. The camper was extremely dirty and piled full of clothes and other miscellaneous items, which made it impossible to enter.

The deputies noticed numerous electrical cords stretched throughout the property and some were 'naked' in places, making them a potential electric shock hazard for the children or anyone else walking around the area.

The cords were used to power the campers from a nearby home because there was no electrical service on the property, the report noted. There were numerous electrical cords plugged into each other and electrical junction boxes on the property that were exposed to the weather, causing electrical hazards.

The entire property was piled with trash and debris around the campers, creating all kinds of hazards for the children.

McKnight determined the children had lice which would get treated once they were temporarily removed and taken to Gulf Coast Kids House. The deputy noted the children smelled as if they had not bathed in several days. Tabitha's brother, Millard Tracy Rolin, said he would secure the animals and Tabitha's purse and its contents for safe keeping.

The four adults were arrested and charged with child neglect with great bodily harm and transported to Escambia County Jail in Pensacola. Each was given a bond of $7,500 each total.

 
 
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