A Leesburg mother has been arrested on a charge of child neglect.
A neighbor called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and reported that a woman was screaming and throwing things in the yard located at 34446 Lakeland Ave. When a deputy arrived on the scene, he found 41-year-old Shelly Gallagher sitting in the front seat of a truck with a child.
When asked why she and the child were sitting in the truck, Gallagher said she couldn’t get in the house because the locks had been changed. She said they had been sleeping in the truck.
The deputy persuaded Gallagher to produce her keys and open the residence’s door. According to the deputy’s report, the house was in a deplorable condition. Rotten food was all over the house which smelled of human feces. All of the sinks and toilets were not working.
The deputy contacted the child’s elementary school which indicated that the child had missed 17 days of school. The child told the deputy that she was forced to urinate and defecate outside because the toilets were not working.
The deputy then talked to the person who had reported the disturbance. That person related that she had repeatedly fed the child and had given her food and water.
The deputy contacted the Department of Children and Families to take care of the child and placed Gallagher under arrest for child neglect. She was booked into the Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,000.
