Compiled by Staff
NEWBERRY, Fla. – In a disturbing incident, 35-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Patterson has been taken into custody after reportedly leaving her children alone in deplorable living conditions for several hours. The children had no access to meals, water, or any means to seek aid in case of an emergency. This arrest follows a prior incident at the same address where a man was detained roughly two weeks ago after trespassing on a neighboring property to obtain water. He claimed his actions were due to the children having no water at home, and remains in the Alachua County Jail.
On August 2, an incident on the 16700 block of NW 32nd Avenue prompted a response from an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy following a request from Animal Services. They found two unsupervised children at the residence. These children, aged 10 and 11, indicated their mother had departed around 3 p.m. to drive a friend to High Springs.
Allegedly, the children had no access to a phone when their distress was discovered. According to official reports, the deputy couldn’t find any fresh sustenance or drinkable water in the house. The children shared that the little water available had quickly been consumed, and they had only eaten once earlier that day. Prior reports suggested the children had to resort to obtaining water from a neighbor’s well to survive.
Further alarming observations were noted by the deputy: the kitchen housed propane tanks within easy reach of the children, a machete was casually placed on the kitchen table, and open syringes were found in a bedroom. The surroundings were unsanitary, with each bedroom littered with soiled tissues and bags filled with waste due to malfunctioning toilets. Dirt and grime had accumulated over months on the walls and floors, and the boys reportedly mentioned that cleaning was an infrequent activity, implying they had grown accustomed to the squalid conditions.
One child had a laceration on his left foot from stepping on debris, and the deputy noted that there was still blood on the floor from the injury, which had occurred several days before.
Patterson reportedly did not return until 9:30 p.m., after the Department of Children and Families investigator contacted her.
Post Miranda, Patterson reportedly said she was aware of the situation in the home, but she “expressed the concerns of moving away from the home” and said she’d gotten food for the boys before she left at 2 p.m.
Patterson has been charged with two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. She has no local criminal history; the documents that provide criminal history and bail are not posted for crimes involving children. She has been released from the Alachua County Jail.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.