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A Florida woman is behind bars after she left her teenager and seven dogs in “vile living conditions” to go on a two-week-long Las Vegas vacation, according to police.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jessica Copeland, 37, on Tuesday on charges of child and animal neglect following calls from family members concerned about the teen and the dogs.
The first call came on Monday when an out-of-state family member called Putnam County deputies to ask for a welfare check on a teenager in Palatka, Florida, the agency said.
When deputies went to the home, an adult was outside and told them he was “cleaning” before Copeland returned home. The teen then came outside and said “there were no issues and everything was fine,” according to the sheriff’s office, so the deputies left.
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Jessica Copeland, 37, was arrested after leaving seven dogs and a teenager home alone for two weeks while she went on vacation to Las Vegas, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
Another family member called the sheriff’s office that same day to report that he had video of dogs inside the home being abused and agreed to meet with deputies to show it to them. In the video, there were three “severely emaciated dogs,” the PCSO said.
That same family member also told deputies he did not think there was food or running water in the house – information that was not given during the initial call, according to the agency.
Deputies went back to the home with PCSO’s agriculture detective and were let inside by the teenager. The adult who was at the home before was no longer there.
Inside the home, deputies came across “vile living conditions,” including layers of animal feces, garbage and debris all throughout the home, and multiple emaciated dogs without food or water.
The teenager told law enforcement that Copeland left on July 21 for Las Vegas and “different people would come to the house to check on him and bring him food,” the agency said.
The age of the teenager was not revealed.
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Deputies also found seven dogs inside the residence.
Copeland’s son told law enforcement that the house had been in its current condition for years because her mom refused to clean it. (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
“Two dogs were locked in a bedroom covered in about 4 inches of feces with no food or water. A third dog was in a cage with no food or water and was severely emaciated. Four more dogs were in the living room surrounded by feces and did not have adequate food or water,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that there were water bowls in the living room, but they had insects floating in them.
The teen allegedly told law enforcement that the home had been in this condition for years because Copeland kept it that way and refused to clean it.
Putnam County Sheriff H.D. DeLoach said the situation was “both heartbreaking and infuriating.”
“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,” he said. “This wasn’t neglect. This was deliberate cruelty, both to her child and to the animals she left behind.”
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When deputies were at the home on Tuesday morning assisting animal control with removing the dogs from the home, Copeland returned to the residence and was quickly arrested.
Law enforcement removed seven dogs from the home belonging to Copeland. (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
Bodycam footage released by the agency showed no resistance from Copeland when they informed her that her house was in a “deplorable” condition and that she had animals on the brink of being starved to death. She was quickly put in handcuffs and taken into custody.
“She is now on extended vacation at the Putnam County Jail,” the sheriff’s office said.
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Her charges include one count of child neglect, three counts of felony animal neglect and four counts of misdemeanor animal neglect, and her bond is set at $36,000.
“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.
The dogs were voluntarily surrendered to the county and will be up for adoption once they are rehabilitated.