Parents forced 3-year-old boy to live alone in shed: Cops
Share and Follow

Left: Joseph Turner. Right: Sarah Pombert (Douglas County Sheriff’s Office).

A Georgia couple is behind bars after they allegedly made their 3-year-old son live in a dirty shed without any running water or electricity for nearly a month.

Joseph Matthew Turner, 35, and Sarah Elizabeth Pombert, 34, stand accused of second-degree cruelty to children. According to an arrest warrant from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Turner and Pombert made the boy live in a shed behind their home in the 7000 block of Judge Avenue in Douglasville, which is some 20 miles west of Atlanta, for roughly three weeks.

More from Law&Crime: Child forced to sleep on entertainment center to ‘get away’ from the ‘hundreds of black flies and cockroaches’ in parent’s filthy home: Police

Turner and Pombert caused “cruel/excessive, mental/physical pain” to the boy by keeping him in a “dirty living space in a shed without running water or electricity, and left the child unsupervised, unbathed, and unclothed with criminal negligence.” The alleged neglect occurred between May 1 and May 22.

Cops filed the charges on May 29 and arrested the couple on June 2, per court records.

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

Local ABC affiliate WSB spoke to neighbor Matthew Govoni who said the shed burned down over Memorial Day Weekend, which is what sparked the investigation. Govoni said “there was a huge fire with explosions” that destroyed the shed. The warrant did not detail the fire nor how investigators discovered the alleged abuse of the boy who was not injured in the fire.

Govoni said the couple lived in the home for about 10 years and were not the best of neighbors. He was not shocked by the allegations.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

HORROR 911 AUDIO OF TRAIN-STAB VICTIM REVEAL IRYNA’S FINAL MOMENTS, ‘BLOODY & HOPELESS’

A video shows Iryna getting on the train, taking a seat, and…

Landfill Search Underway for 11-Year-Old Autistic Boy as Mom Denies His Existence

On Thursday, crews searched a New York landfill for an 11-year-old boy…

Man Fatally Attacks Girlfriend’s Brother During FaceTime Call

Left: Robert Carrasco (Bexar County Sheriff”s Office). Right: Jason Banda (San Antonio…

Police Report: Man Allegedly Threatens to Stab Victim for Urinating Near His Girlfriend

Background: The 1000 block of West 71st Street in Hialeah, Florida (Google…

GRAPHIC: ‘Very Proud Baby Pedophile’ Fantasized About Raping Baby in Stroller

A New Jersey man who was charged with possessing child pornography was…

Son Who Killed Mother in ‘Moment of Rage’ Receives Sentencing

Inset: Dallas Scott Gilbert (Primera Police Department). Background: The street in Texas…

Man Robbed at Gunpoint While Trying to Assist Another

Share copy link Inset: Grant Hagood-James. Background: Hagood-James after he was arrested…

The GPD Seeks Public Assistance to Identify Boat Thieves

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Police Department is asking the public…