MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida mom is facing child neglect charges over reports her kids were found dirty, hungry and with limited verbal skills.
Marion County deputies responded to a Dollar Tree after receiving a call that a man was screaming that he was Jesus and the devil while his children screamed for help, WESH reports.
Deputies arrived to find the children covered in a layer of dirt, "acting like they were starving" and claiming they had never been to school, according to an arrest report obtained by the news station.
The children reportedly only knew their first names and did not know their birthdays or how old they were.
The children's mother, 36-year-old Cassie Quick, was arrested. Her husband, the man seen screaming in the store, was taken into custody and evaluated for mental illness, WFTV reports.
According to the news station, Quick told deputies she left her children in her husband’s care despite being aware of his worsening mental episodes.
"If he was on medication and was mentally stable, and getting the help he needed that would be totally different," a deputy reportedly said. "But you're leaving them in his care knowing that this has been an ongoing problem."
WESH said Quick also admitted to deputies that she had not been feeding the children and was not sure when they last ate.
The Department of Children and Families had already reportedly opened a case on the family, having checked on them three times in the past month.
Quick is charged with child neglect without great bodily harm, a felony. Her bond is set at $15,000. Quick's next scheduled court date is Saturday morning.
