Mother accused of leaving son, 7 dogs in feces-covered home while she went to Las Vegas
PALATKA, Fla. (WCJB/Gray News) - A Florida mother is facing several charges after authorities say she left her teenage son and seven dogs in a feces-covered home for two weeks while she vacationed in Las Vegas.
Jessica Copeland, 37, is charged with one count of child neglect, three counts of felony animal neglect and four counts of misdemeanor animal neglect, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies received a request last Monday from a family member for a welfare check at Copeland’s home in Palatka. There, they found her teenage son, whose age was not released.
The teenager let deputies inside the home, where they say the living conditions were “deplorable” and “vile,” including animal feces on the floor and garbage and debris everywhere. Deputies say they also found several emaciated dogs without food and water.
The teen told deputies Copeland left two weeks earlier on July 21 to go on vacation in Las Vegas and that different people would come by to check on him and bring him food.
“The depravity of this situation is both heartbreaking and infuriating,” Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach said. “A mother made the conscious choice to abandon her own child in a filth-ridden home, surrounded by the stench of animal feces and suffering of neglected animals while she indulged on a two-week birthday trip to Las Vegas.”
Deputies say there were a total of seven dogs in the home, two of whom were locked in a bedroom covered in about 4 inches of feces. A third dog was in a cage, and four more were in the living room surrounded by feces.
The teen told deputies the living conditions had been like that “for years” because Copeland refuses to clean.
While deputies were still at the home last Tuesday helping animal control remove the dogs, Copeland returned from her vacation in the early morning hours. She was arrested and taken to the Putnam County Jail.
“Let me be clear, our community will not tolerate this level of selfish disregard for human and animal life. She now has time for reflection,” DeLoach said.
Copeland is being held on a $36,500 bond.
The dogs were voluntarily surrendered to Putnam County Animal Services and, upon rehabilitation, will be available for adoption.
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