Franklin George, 31, and Jessica George have been arrested on felony child neglect charges after their special needs 7-year-old son reportedly came to school unclean, having severe diaper rash and, on one occasion, with his feet covered in feces.
Detective-Sgt. K.L. Adams investigation into the case began when he was notified of several Child Protective Service referrals concerning “injuries observed on the victim’s body, the victim’s cleanliness, and concerns with the victim not obtaining proper medical care,” according to a criminal complaint filed by Adams.
According to the report, Adams was told by CPS officials “the victim had heart complications, was nonverbal, and just recently began walking on his own. The victim was found to be transported to school on a bus, and is required to wear a harness doing transit. The victim wears diapers, and must be changed while attending school.”
Adams interviewed school officials and learned the child often came to school unclean.
School staff provided detailed documentation of the child’s injuries, which included “numerous bruises on various parts of the victim’s body, swelled knots, puncture wounds, bite wounds and abrasions,” according to the criminal complaint.
“On one occasion the victim arrived at school unable to walk off the bus, and had to be carried into the school by his teacher,” Adams’s report states. “Once in the school the victim was found to have feces covering the soles of his feet. When the feces were cleaned off, the victim was found to have an open wound on the bottom of one of his feet. This injury caused the victim severe pain. The parents of the victim were unaware of several of these injuries on their child.”
The criminal complaint also states the child had “severe diaper rash causing bleeding,” and other injuries related to a lack of cleanliness.
During an arraignment Thursday afternoon before Mercer County Magistrate Charles Poe, Franklin George told the court the couple had seven children ages 10, 9, 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1.
Adams’ report noted school officials did not believe the child was being physically abused, but ‘just severely neglected,” and that “the parents were overwhelmed with the amount of children inside the home.”
In his complaint Adams stated he visited the George’s residence and found the home to be “extremely dirty” and smelling “of feces.”
“The floors were sticky and stained, dishes were left uncleaned, spills were found in the home that had been left to dry, blow flies were everywhere in the home, dirty clothes were piled up in the resident and appeared to have been worn numerous times, and clutter was observed everywhere,” Adams said in the report.
Adams said he believed injuries sustained by the victim were a result of other children in the home, “and accidental.”
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